A Piece of Heaven
by JC-zala
Summary: She lost her grandmother but gained something more. Through a season of healing, they will walk by her side and lead her to a bright future, and at the same time, uncover the past she once lost.
1. The Tears of an Angel

**JC: **My first POT Multi-chaptered FANFIC! Hell, yeah! I've finally managed to start this off. I've been itching to write this ever since I started my series of oneshots, Through the Eyes of the Prince. If you don't know, then I'll tell you that I'm a Multi-shipper. RyoSaku is an absolute fave, but I also favor FujiSaku, MaruSaku, and TezuSaku the most too! The first chapter is about angst, hurt and comfort, and our characters will have to deal with the pain from losing a loved one. This is just the start. I hope you'll enjoy this. I'm getting nervous.

**Note: **The story takes place during Sakuno and Ryoma's 3rd year of middle school.

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis. All rights belong to Takeshi Konomi.

* * *

**A Piece of Heaven**

First Set: The Tears of an Angel

Everyone knew Sumire Ryuuzaki had been a doting grandmother, a good teacher, and an amazing coach for Seigaku's Tennis Club until she died. She had taught Math at school and would have liked to see her granddaughter graduate from middle school, but fate just had to be cruel. It was a car accident. There was a sudden crash, and a huge impact followed by an explosion of glass and the sound of grinding steel. Her car had spun like a top and found its way pinned between another car and a truck. Paramedics had found her covered in blood.

Sakuno Ryuuzaki was a pretty young maiden. She was 14, and one of the Regular players of Seigaku's Tennis Club. She had been a reserved player during her freshman year, and her coach had always monitored her progress. In her second year of middle school, Sakuno had managed to impress her team by defeating a senior and earning a Regular spot. She went through a lot of training, while keeping up with her studies. She was always hardworking and helpful to others, and everyone liked her for it.

"How are you, Sakuno-chan?"

It was Syusuke Fuji, the tennis genius of Seigaku. He was a high school student and one of the best players in the team. Even as a middle school student, many people had considered him as an outstanding player. His tactics and counters were impressive. He was always such a nice guy and so polite, often seen wearing a calm and contented smile on his face as if it was a mask. Nevertheless, he was a handsome brunette with pristine blue eyes and an angular face. He was practically the prince of every girl's dream in high school.

He had known Coach Ryuuzaki since he was still a freshman in Seigaku Middle School. There were no words to describe the respect he held for the former coach. Sure, she was stern and fierce, but she was a strong and passionate woman. And he knew how much she treasured her granddaughter. Sakuno Ryuuzaki was most precious to her. He felt sorry for the young girl. Coach Ryuuzaki was the only family she had left.

"Syusuke-senpai…I…I…"

It has been a week since the funeral. Fuji had been worried about her. He was in the living room of her house, in his white collared shirt and jeans. Sakuno looked absolutely distraught and devastated, as she stared down on the floor with her head so low. According to her best friend, Sakuno had not been eating properly anymore. It was also obvious that she lacked sleep and she had lost weight.

Nevertheless, her sad face was still beautiful in his eyes, although he would preferred her smiling face instead. Most people often considered her pretty and cute. She wore her long auburn hair in twin braids with bangs that framed her heart-shaped face. Her eyes were big, brown, and expressive. But she never seemed to look straight at anyone. She was clad in a pink jacket and white shorts, and her face was deathly pale as she sat across him. She was in extreme pain.

"I feel so alone now…" she muttered under her breath. She was breaking. "I can't go on like this…"

Many people have commented on her chronic shyness and clumsiness. She even had bad sense of direction. Even so, she was a bright and kind girl. Anyone who had gone to school with her knew that she was. The funeral was a painful ordeal she had to go through. Fuji had observed her expressions and her movements that day. It was as though her body was there, but her mind and soul were elsewhere.

"Sakuno-chan, you can't lock yourself in here forever," he said with a concerned look.

She gazed up at him, gripping the ends of her skirt. "I miss obaa-chan," she said in a trembling voice. "How can I go on with my life without obaa-chan?" She started to cry softly. "It's not fair. Why did she have to die?"

"Ryuuzaki-sensei was a good person," Fuji said quietly, and now, thinking of his time with the coach, he glanced over the picture frame on the table beside the sofa. It was a picture of a 5-year old Sakuno in the arms of Coach Ryuuzaki. "I can't imagine how difficult it's going to be now without your obaa-chan…but maybe…" A genius he may be, but, as of that moment, he wasn't sure what to say to her. Sakuno had suffered so much already.

Sumire Ryuuzaki hadn't been careless or irresponsible on the road. She had done nothing to deserve what had happened to her. She had been a respectable person and now she was gone.

Good friends, former students, and co-workers had expressed their condolences during the funeral. Their kindness was appreciated, but somehow it had proven to be staggering for her. Nothing could soothe the agony she felt. Even though her best friend had never left her side, Sakuno had looked so distant and alone. She had clutched her best friend's hand the entire time, crying uncontrollably.

More tears streamed down her smooth face. "I wish I could just disappear right now…" She stood up and walked to the window. "It's just too painful to stay here without obaa-chan."

Fuji felt her pain in his own heart. It felt like the end of the world to her. He really wanted to comfort her. He wanted to be the prince to save her from all this hurt. He wanted her to let go of the pain and move on. He wanted to make her happy again. He cared for her. "Sakuno-chan, Ryuuzaki-sensei would hate to see you like this." He didn't like it either. "She would like you to be happy. I'm sure of it."

Her innocent teary eyes whipped to his. "Syusuke-senpai..."

Fuji offered a small smile. "You meant a lot to your grandmother. Sometimes she would tell us interesting stories about you. She's very proud of you, you know, and she always wanted the best for you." Her eyes moved away from his and were filled with great sadness. "Sakuno-chan, I know it's difficult, but life must go on. Your grandmother wouldn't have it any other way."

Sakuno pursed her lips slightly. "But I'm alone now…" Her clenched hands trembled. "I don't have a family anymore."

He touched her then, wrapping his arms around her petite body. "You're not alone, Sakuno-chan. You'll never be alone," he cooed into her ear. "You have us."

And then her sobs became louder.

* * *

_"Arigatou for being there for her, Fuji-senpai…" _It was Sakuno's best friend, Tomoka Osakada, on the other line.

Tomoka was the complete opposite of Sakuno. While Sakuno was quiet and reserved, Tomoka was loud and straightforward. She was known as Seigaku's No. 1 cheerleader for the tennis club. She had always been a good friend to Sakuno, close enough to be sisters in fact. It was only last year that she joined the girl's tennis club. Normally, after school activities were a big no for her because she had to babysit her siblings at home. She finally had her chance to join the club when her parents hired a good babysitter from an agency. She was no pushover when it came to sports. She was naturally athletic and a fast learner.

The death of Coach Ryuuzaki came as a big shock to her. She had immediately cried when she heard the news on the phone. And it was more heart-wrenching when she saw her best friend's tears. She had been there for Sakuno. She had been her crying shoulder all throughout the nightmare.

However, the past week had been completely unbearable. She had tried to cheer her up, to comfort her. But Sakuno had shut herself in her own home and refused to talk to her. Sakuno wouldn't even take her calls. Her concern for her best friend only grew to a great extent when she saw her passed out on the kitchen floor when she visited her yesterday.

Tomoka was afraid that Sakuno might do something reckless due to depression. She was confused and she felt helpless. She didn't know what to do for her best friend anymore. It was by stroke of luck that she bumped into Syusuke Fuji at the convenience store. She told him about Sakuno's condition.

And it turned out that Fuji was extremely worried for Sakuno as well.

Fuji carefully stroked the young girl's face. She looked peaceful now that she was asleep. He had held her for a long time as she cried. He didn't mind as long as it would make her feel a little better. He had carried her to her bedroom after drifting to slumber.

"It's not going to be easy for her from now on," Fuji said, tracing the outline of her face before brushing a stray hair away from her closed eyes. "But we have to be there for her."

_"We have to make her feel that she's not alone…that she still has us…" _Tomoka's voice was cracking up. It sounded like she was trying her best not to cry. _"My mom's calling me, so I have to go. I want to thank you again, senpai, for the help. It means a lot." _

"It's no problem, Osakada-san."

Then the line went dead.

He put away his cell phone and brought his eyes back on the sleeping beauty. She was young. She was beautiful, yet she was delicate and fragile. She had such honest eyes, and Fuji had seen so much sorrow and pain there. He wished he could have done better to comfort her. But at least he had managed to calm her down.

He touched her again, taking her hand in his, entwining his fingers with hers. He brought her hand to his lips, kissing it softly. "I want to see your smile again," he said sadly. As he looked at her, he realized he was thinking about it again. "Sakuno-chan…" He wasn't sure when or how it started. There was something about her that drew him toward her like a magnet. But knowing all she'd been through, he should keep his feelings in check. He had to force himself to think of her as a junior or a little sister.

"What are you doing, senpai?"

Biting back his surprise by the sudden voice, Fuji turned to the visitor. "So you came…"

"What are you doing, senpai?"

Fuji got the hidden meaning behind the question. He knew he was playing with fire here. "When did you arrive?"

"Don't avoid the question."

Both parties continued to stare at each other for a while. Hazel cat-like eyes were looking fierce as if it was telling Fuji to back off. In contrast to such ferocity, his pristine blue eyes betrayed no emotions.

"Hmm… Taking care of her, huh? Then was it necessary to kiss her hand?"

Fuji simply smiled and brought his gaze back to the young girl. His eyes grew soft as he released her hand, gently laying it down. "It was nothing more than a simple act of concern," he told him. "Are you bothered?"

The mysterious person simply shrugged and turned his head away. "Why would I?" he replied, feigning indifference.

"Do me a favor…" Fuji started toward the person and stood beside him. "Stay with her for the night."

There was a moment of silence between them. There was a thick veil of awkwardness and tension around them.

"You don't have to tell me that," the person said, finally ripping the veil of silence.

Fuji felt his chest tighten. He wanted to be the one to be there for her. He didn't want to leave her side. But the person was one of the many miracles she needed. At that point, he wanted to be selfish, but he wanted her happiness more. "I'm sure she'll be happy to see you," he muttered under his breath, placing a hand on the person's shoulder, "Echizen…" And with that he left.

* * *

The time Ryoma Echizen had spent in America was a worthwhile experience. He had left after the U-17 Japan Camp, and played in the Grand Slam competitively as one of the youngest tennis players there. That itself was achievement enough for someone his age. The French Open, US Open, Australian Open, and Wimbledon—he had shine in every event, but pros were tough competition for him. He had his fair share of wins and losses, but failed to attain the title he sought for. The experience, however, was very rewarding.

People often compared him to his father, Nanjiroh Echizen, the one called Samurai. But he had proven time and time again that he was his own person. An all-rounder and a fast learner, Ryoma was a force to be reckoned with in tennis.

Living in America hadn't been incredibly fun. Everything was about tennis for him. Outside of that world was quite boring. His social skills practically sucked, so he spent most of time at the tennis courts. Nonetheless, there was one thing, apart from tennis, that he would always look forward to every day during his stay there.

And that was her mails.

They kept in touch with one another through letters and emails. It was like he didn't leave Japan. She had always been diligent in writing. She had never failed to give him updates and reports about Seigaku, the team and about her progress as well. There were also times that they would chat online.

It kind of surprised him when he received no mail one day. It was odd considering how consistent she was. But he had immediately concluded that she might be busy with school and tennis. After a few days, he had finally received an email from her. He had thought it was going to be one of her updates, but the mail contained bad news instead.

_Ryoma-kun, my obaa-chan…she died…_

It was a big shock. He called his father to confirm the news and he learned that Coach Ryuuzaki died from an accident. He wished his father was merely joking, but it was all too true.

And so there he was, back from America.

There was nothing left for him there. He had wanted to go back to Seigaku right after the last Grand Slam but decided to finish his last semester of school in America. He was going to enter Seigaku once again, but this time as an incoming senior student.

"Ryuuzaki."

He gazed upon her, and he sat on her bed, looking tired and sad. He had heard everything from his seniors and his dad. Sakuno was broken and hurt, and everyone was worried about her. He too had unyielding concern for her. Truth be known, the two of them shared an odd relationship. It was close to friendship and there was mutual understanding, but it felt like there something more between them. He hadn't exactly given much thought about this. She had always been there that sometimes he didn't realize how much she meant to him.

A soft moan escaped from her lips. With a slight movement, she slowly opened her eyes. "Hmmm…" She looked up as her vision started to clear. As her eyes met his hazel orbs, she gasped. "R-Ryoma-kun?!" She sat up on the bed. "It's really Ryoma-kun, right?"

He looked fine as usual. He was wearing a blue shirt underneath the open black jacket. The familiar white Fila cap was missing, but the hazel eyes and unruly dark green hair did not escape her. Ryoma was really there before her very eyes.

Ryoma could see it plainly. There was sorrow in her eyes, a very deep pain that she failed to hide from him.

Tears started to form. "Ryoma-kun, obaa-chan is…" she said, choking on her words. She shut her eyes tight as the tears fell. "Obaa-chan is gone!" She clenched the sheets tightly as her shoulders trembled. "She's really gone!"

And then, all of a sudden, he put his arms around her and held her against his chest. Seeing her broken and hurt like this made his heart wail. He wanted to shield her from all the sorrow. He wanted her to be happy again. He could tell that she had been crying before this, and his Fuji-senpai was there to comfort her. The thought, though, didn't sit with him well. Now it was his turn to be her support. He rubbed her back gently as she clung to him tightly, tears soaking his shirt.

Sakuno drew back and looked at him, a pitiful but pretty look on her face. Her eyes were puffy and red, teardrops clinging to her long lashes, and her cheeks flushed. Ryoma brushed some tears away gently.

"Will I always feel like this?" she asked, feeling panicked. It was hard to imagine spending the rest of her life without her grandmother.

Ryoma sat there holding her for a long time until she finally gone back to sleep.

* * *

_"How is she, Fuji?" _

The voice on the other line sounded apathetic, but Fuji knew better than to judge the person easily by that. After all, he had known him for years and he could pick up the slightest changes. Even though he sounded unresponsive, he could sense the concern present underneath. "Not so good…" he replied sensibly as he lied down on the bed.

_"I should be there." _

Fuji sighed. "Your sense of responsibility is nagging you this much, huh?" There was a pause in the other line, and Fuji knew he had guessed right. "We're doing our best to support her, so have faith in us. No good will come if you're going to rush things. Finish up everything there first before coming back." It was more of a demand than a request on Fuji's part, but the tone he used was light and calm.

_"Ryuuzaki-sensei entrusted her to us, Fuji, so don't let your guard down." _

Pristine blue eyes slowly found themselves staring at the ceiling as he thought of the pigtailed girl. "Tezuka, you know I'd do anything to bring back her beautiful smiles…" he said into the phone.

_"Fuji, you…" _

"Maybe I shouldn't have left her with Echizen," Fuji muttered, a sadistic smile greasing his lips. It was a good thing no one was there to see it.

_"She's been through enough. Don't cause unnecessary actions." _

He felt it was more of a threat than an advice. Well, Fuji figured it was only natural since the girl had a special place in Tezuka's heart. Fuji had been so keen about the things around him, though he had admitted that it was shocking to learn such information about his stone-faced captain. Even their ever-so-reliable data analyst never found out about this. Fuji had never bothered telling either. "Tezuka, when are you planning on telling her?" he asked curiously.

Another moment of silence came.

_"Soon." _

Fuji noted the hint of hesitation in his voice. "I see…" he replied, sitting up on the bed, a frown now present on his face. "Neh, Tezuka… How long do I have to wait?"

_"You were never the impatient one, Fuji…" _

The brunette raked a hand through his hair before he buried his face in one palm. Another sadistic smile had tugged his lips. "I'm almost at my limit, Tezuka…"

_To be continued… _

* * *

**JC: **So, how was it? I apologize for ending it there. More things will be revealed in the next chapter. I also apologize for the deliberate character death. Honestly, Ryuuzaki-sensei is one of my favorite coaches in the world of sport-related Anime/Manga, and it hurts me to have her killed off here. But I wanted to explore this kind of concept and have Sakuno cope up with the loss. People who care for her will always be there to support her as well.

**Next Chapter: **Ryoma takes care of Sakuno! Will feelings bloom? Or will Fuji intrude? You may click the review button and ponder! Just don't flame please.


	2. Her Pillar of Support

**JC: **I'm so happy to receive such wonderful comments and reviews. I've managed to finish this as well as the next oneshot for **Through the Eyes of the Prince**. I know I killed off Ryuuzaki-sensei and I truly apologize for that. I've wanted to explore this concept for so long and now I finally got the chance to. In the last chapter, Sakuno was shutting herself from the world due to depression and not even Fuji could ease her sorrows. But then Ryoma showed up! And Tezuka is also involved in this story, but his appearance is reserved for the next chapters.

**Note: **The story takes place during Sakuno and Ryoma's 3rd year of middle school.

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis. All rights belong to Takeshi Konomi.

* * *

**A Piece of Heaven**

Second Set: Her Pillar of Support

_Sakuno clamped her mouth in surprise. Her brown eyes glistened in tears. She couldn't believe it. Her grandmother was standing there right in front of her. With long brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, she wore her usual pink jacket and jogging pants. She seemed sad and concerned. Her lips were greased with a frown. _

_ "Sakuno…" _

_"Obaa-chan…you're alive?" she questioned, swallowing hard. "How…how is that possible?" _

_The old woman sadly shook her head. "Sakuno, I'm no longer alive. I'm really sorry for leaving you all of a sudden." _

_Sakuno lowered her head, biting her lower lip, trying to control the tears. "Then…everything was real…The accident, the funeral…" She fisted her hands. "I wish it were all a dream." _

_"No one can really tell what the future has in stored for us. It was simply my time." _

_"But…but…" _

_"What have you been doing to yourself, Sakuno?" _

_She looked up and could see the worry in the woman's eyes. "I'm not all right," she said. "I'm not… I miss you so much that it hurts. I feel so alone now." _

_"I know you miss me, Sakuno," Sumire said gently. "But that's not an excuse to fall apart. You're my granddaughter. You can't just stay here and mope around forever."_

_She started to cry. "But I hate being home without you now. It's too lonely!" She dropped on her knees and buried her face in her palms. "I want you back, obaa-chan!" _

_Sumire stood watching her for a long time as she cried. "Sakuno, I know you're stronger than this," she said, kneeling before her, as she placed a hand on her shoulder. "You will push through." She sounded very firm and confident. _

_"I'm not strong, obaa-chan," she sobbed. "I'm not strong like you." _

_"No, you are!" Sumire said in a stricter tone. "You are going to live on without me. You can do it, Sakuno." _

_"Obaa-chan…" Sakuno looked shocked and afraid. "But…" _

_"Stop this and shape up, Sakuno! And besides, you're not alone!" Sumire sounded angry at her. "You still have Tomoka, don't you? I know she'll never leave you. Those brats will be there for you too, even that lewd Nanjiroh." _

_Sakuno's eyes grew wide. "Everyone…" _

_"I don't want you to be a quitter." Sumire sounded disappointed in her, and Sakuno looked up into her eyes. "I know it's hard without me." She looked very upset as she thought of it. "But trust me, Sakuno, it's going to get better." _

_"Obaa-chan…" _

_Sumire patted the young girl's head and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Be strong, Sakuno, and live life to the fullest," she said with a kind smile, and then she walked away. _

_Sakuno wanted to run after her, but suddenly she realized she couldn't follow her. It was as though there was an invisible force keeping her at bay. It pained her to watch her grandmother slowly disappear from sight. _

* * *

Ryoma was mildly stressed. He wasn't a morning person to begin with. He had a habit of oversleeping and getting to school late. His alarm clock back at home was sometimes useless and he often wondered why he would bother setting the time in the first place. In this case, however, sleeping in was not an option. Favor from his senpai or not, Ryoma had stayed beside Sakuno all night. To put it more accurately, he had slept beside her on her own bed, which he found to be rather comfortable.

He had held her for so long that he had grown familiar with her warmth and scent. But, as the sun rose from the east, he had discovered very disturbing news. She had come down with a fever, much to his utter dismay. He figured it was normal, considering the amount of stress she had gone through over the past days. Her body couldn't take it anymore.

Ryoma's lips curled downward. He fixed the telephone in his hand with a blank stare before he brought it back to his ear again. "Like I said, bring me extra clothes to change. I can't go home because Ryuuzaki's sick."

_"Looks like my kiddo is growing up to be a fine man!" _His father, the former tennis sensation Nanjiroh Echizen, exclaimed happily over the phone. _"Don't do anything indecent to her now that she's so defenseless!" _

"Shut up. I'm not like you."

_"Why don't you just admit that you like her?" _his father taunted, snickering.

"Because I don't," Ryoma said dryly.

A sigh escaped his father's lips. _"You're such a worthless son." _

Ryoma found his father incredibly ridiculous. "Just shut up," he hissed, "and don't forget my clothes," then hung up. Calling him up early in the morning wasn't good for his head at all. He felt like a headache coming. How he wished that it was his cousin who answered the phone instead. But, no, it just had to be his stupid dad.

He had to get Sakuno to eat. Her loud-mouthed friend, Osakada, had told him that Sakuno hadn't been eating properly. Sick people needed to replenish their strength with good food and rest. He remembered how his mother used to take care of him when he fell ill. Chicken soup would always do the trick. But there was one big problem. While he was extraordinarily talented in tennis, he was pretty much a disaster in the kitchen. After that one incident with the mixer and the eggs, his cousin had never let him set one foot in the kitchen ever again.

Well, he wasn't about to let Sakuno starve for the day. After checking the kitchen shelves, he found a can of instant soup. This was great. All he needed was to open it, heat it up, and serve it to her. At least, he didn't have to worry about blowing something up in the kitchen.

* * *

"It's chicken soup," a somewhat awkward Ryoma said as he set the tray on her lap. "The instant kind though…"

"Arigatou, Ryoma-kun," Sakuno said, looking tired and cold. She leaned over, smelling the soup with her eyes closed, and picked up the spoon. "It smells great."

"I can't cook, so you have to settle with that," he said nonchalantly.

Sakuno looked up at him. "Even so, thank you for doing this," she said with a small, shy smile, and Ryoma immediately felt something inside him flutter.

He said nothing for a minute, but his hazel eyes narrowed. "You really look terrible, Ryuuzaki. What have you been doing to yourself?"

She stiffened. Her grandmother in the dream had said the same words to her. She felt like crying again. "I've been feeling miserable," she muttered, clutching her chest with one hand. "And it's been so hard." She then shook her head vigorously. "No, I should stop acting this way. Obaa-chan will scold me again for being so pathetic."

He raised a brow. "You're not being pathetic. It just goes to show how much your grandmother meant to you." His tone was completely indifferent, but Sakuno could sense the sincerity behind it.

"I appreciate you going out of your way for me, Ryoma-kun," she said quietly. "I'm so glad that you're here right now." She was beaming in spite of the fever.

He tipped his Fila cap down, fully aware that he blushed. "I don't think anyone can leave you alone with you being sick and all," he said.

She glanced back at her soup and sighed. "Yeah…I guess you're right. But I'm still thankful."

Seeing as there was nothing more to do, Ryoma adjusted his cap and turned on his heel. "I'm going to the pharmacy," he said and walked out.

Ryoma was really a nice boy, Sakuno thought. Even though he was undeniably cocky and aloof, he was not selfish and unkind. He had helped her countless times before. Whether it was saving her from bullies or teaching her tennis, Ryoma had been good to her. It has been a long time since she had seen him. Well, his appearance on television didn't really count.

She could see that he has grown in height. While not necessary as tall as Momo-senpai, it was still an acceptable height for a boy his age. His face was more chiseled and his hazel eyes were sharper. His dark green hair shone in the sunshine that beamed through the window. He was broad-shouldered and well-built. Furthermore, he had grown a lot handsomer.

He had always been a good student, proficient in English, though somewhat poor in Japanese history, and he had an impressive record in tennis. His father was a former tennis star, while his mother was an attorney. She had only recently found out about the existence of his older brother. According to her Eiji-senpai, the older Echizen brother looked like Ryoma. Someday, she would like to meet his older brother.

* * *

"How embarrassing," Sakuno wailed, covering herself up with the blanket.

Tomoka Osakada was red in the face from laughing so hard. "You mean you didn't realize it all this time?" She was always a cheerful girl, also beautiful in her own way. She wore her brown hair in two high pigtails as usual, and she was dressed in an orange hoodie jacket and blue denim skirt.

"It's not funny!"

"You were completely defenseless. I'm surprised they haven't done anything to you, Sakuno."

A few minutes after Ryoma had left for the pharmacy, Tomoko had dropped in the check up on her best friend. Upon first glance one would have worried for her health, but, after seeing the smile on Sakuno's face, Tomoko couldn't restrain her fangirlism. She had heard it from Fuji-senpai that the one and only Ryoma Echizen had come for Sakuno and even spent the night with her. And judging from Sakuno's reaction earlier, Tomoka had a good feeling that she had an intimate moment with Fuji-senpai as well.

Tomoka was a hardcore Seigaku Tennis Fan Girl, though she was more into her precious Ryoma-sama. She had even formed a fan club just for him. But her feelings for the Tennis Prince were nothing more than adoration.

"I was sad, okay? I wasn't even aware."

After a few moments of laughter, Tomoka straightened up. "Sorry, Sakuno… It's just kind of funny and sweet."

Sakuno peeked out from under the sheet. Tomoka had a point there. Fuji was one thing, but Ryoma being sweet to her was kind of farfetched. Ryoma wasn't the type to show emotions openly, but Sakuno did feel his sincerity for her. It was then she realized that Ryoma had never acted intimately with her before.

"It's good to see you acting more of yourself now, Sakuno," Tomoka said, getting on her knees, as she rested her arms on the bed. "Everyone is so worried about you."

Sakuno was touched. She didn't know that so many people would be affected by her condition. Her grandmother was right. She couldn't afford to lock herself up and mope around forever.

"Did you know? Ryoma-sama only arrived yesterday."

"Huh?"

Tomoka giggled. "He immediately went here after the airport. Can you believe that? Just imagine the jetlag."

Now there was a cause for a blush. Sakuno found it almost impossible to believe. However, after witnessing his own odd display of sincerity, she figured that Ryoma was being Ryoma for that.

"Well, I have to go. I still have an errand to run," Tomoka said, getting up on her feet. "Besides, I don't want to be the third wheel when Ryoma-sama comes back." She winked a playful eye, which made Sakuno blush madly.

* * *

"R-Ryoma-kun, what happened to you?!"

The boy looked extremely pissed and wet. "Some stupid Dunk-Smash moron ran into me and conveniently dropped his soda all over me."

Sakuno gave him a sympathetic look. She had a pretty good idea who the 'Dunk-Smash' moron was, though she considered it inappropriate for him to insult a senior. "R-Ryoma-kun, I think you better change," she suggested with an awkward smile. She wondered if he had extra clothes since he hasn't even gone home yet.

He placed a small paper bag on the bedside table. "I got your meds. Take them."

Recalling what Tomoka said earlier, Sakuno couldn't help but blush. What happened between them last night was no lie. Ryoma had really come for her and had comforted her. He had held her in his arms as she cried in pain. He had never left her side until morning. He had even slept with her in the same bed! It made her so flustered just by thinking about it. "A-Arigatou, R-Ryoma-kun…"

He shrugged and spun on his heel. "It's nothing."

"Ryoma-kun!" Her call stopped him from taking a step. And when he peered over his shoulder to look at her, she bowed her head in embarrassment. "Y-you haven't gone h-home yet, right? I feel a little better now, so—"

"Don't want to," he cut her off.

She blinked in confusion. "Eh? But Ryoma-kun…"

"My stupid oyaji will be here any minute with my change of clothes," he said curtly. "I'm staying here until you're fully recovered."

As much as she wanted to rejoice about that, Sakuno felt like she was being a burden to Ryoma. She was sure he would like to play tennis more. After all, tennis meant the world to him, and Sakuno would hate herself for taking that away from him. "Ryoma-kun, it's fine. I'll just call Tomo-chan and—"

He cut her off again. "I'm doing this because I want to." And with that, he walked off, leaving Sakuno in a daze.

* * *

"How are you feeling, Sakuno-chan?" Syusuke Fuji asked as he sat down next to the young girl on the couch. "I heard from Osakada-san that you got sick."

"I'm a little achy, but I'm fine," she said, smiling up at him.

"Don't forget to take your medicine and drink plenty of fluids," he said, lifting a hand to pat her head.

She was touched by her senior's concern. "Syusuke-senpai, I want to thank you for yesterday," she said, her cheeks slightly pink, as she fiddled with her hands. "I feel a little ashamed that you had to see me in that state. I must have looked pitiful."

"Please don't stay that. I think you were really cute being so vulnerable like that," he said in a teasing tone. "It made me want to protect you."

Her face instantly glowed like a bright red Christmas bulb.

Ryoma was annoyed. He was sitting on a couch with them in the living room, but he felt like he was invisible. Sakuno had all her attention on Fuji and it irked him. He had learned through her emails that she and Fuji had grown closer over the past year. They were even on first-name basis. Fuji had become more than just a senior to her. He had become her friend, her brother, her personal trainer and tutor at times. He had played a vital role in her progress. Even her seniors at school had commented on her development. She had been a reserved player during her first year. On her second year of middle school, Fuji had become her personal trainer in tennis, and she had learned a lot from him. With hard work and dedication, she grew stronger and stronger in tennis, and eventually she landed a spot in the regular team.

Nonetheless, bottom line here was she spent way too much time with Fuji. Sure, she had the right to be grateful for Fuji's help, but Ryoma wanted to brag that he was the one who taught her tennis first. He was her first coach. He had taught her the basics. He had given her advices about her form. He had even taken her to the stringer to get her racket fixed. He had done his fair share of help, but Fuji was the star in her eyes.

"You're going to be a senior this coming semester," Fuji said. "I'm looking forward to see you play again."

"Hmm…Yeah… But I haven't held a racket for a while since Obaa-chan's death," she said, almost choking on her words.

"It doesn't mean that you've gone rusty," Fuji said, placing a hand on Sakuno's shoulder, as he turned to the younger lad. "Neh, Echizen, did you know? Sakuno-chan's team won fourth place in the Nationals. Sakuno played in Singles 2 in the semifinals last year."

Ryoma simply shrugged. "I know." Of course he knew. The girl had told him all about it in one of her mails. He felt rather proud of her. She had progressed so much within the past year.

"And she even used one of my special serves," Fuji continued. "Her opponent was really surprised."

Ryoma felt a slight pang in his chest. He knew exactly what kind of serve she used. It was impressive she managed to master it. But it bothered him because Fuji had spent extra time to teach her that move. No, it wasn't only that. Truth be known, it would always annoy him whenever he received mails about her training sessions with Fuji. Kikumaru and Inui would also help out at times, with the aforementioned mainly serving as her Doubles partner. As for Inui, the training regimen he had given her had done wonders to her speed and control. It was different with Fuji. It was the way she wrote about him. There was fascination, a sense of closeness and connection between them. Ryoma didn't quite understand it fully himself, but he didn't like it.

When Sakuno went into the kitchen, Fuji started a conversation with Ryoma. "You're awfully quiet, Echizen."

"Nothing much to say," the lad briskly replied.

"Aside from the fever, she seems a lot better today than yesterday," Fuji said, the contented smile etched on his handsome face. "Tezuka is even worried about her. I guess we have you to thank for that."

"Ryuuzaki's not that weak."

"I think so too."

"How's everyone doing?"

The genius raised an elegant brow. "Do I really need to answer that? I'm sure Sakuno-chan had kept you updated all this time."

The lad rolled his eyes away. "Pretty much."

"Seigaku was already informed and they have no objections. You'll be welcomed as their new captain."

Kaidoh and Momoshiro were more than willing to hand Seigaku over to him. Ryoma had been the pillar of support during his freshman year. He had been the super rookie of the team, and now he was going to be captain. As for his vice-captain, it seemed like Captain Kaidoh was still deciding on that.

"It's not like I have a choice," Ryoma finally replied, nonchalant as usual.

"Are you going to stay with her tonight?"

"What if I am?"

Fuji took note of the sharp tone and the boy's eyes, no matter how hard he tried to hide it, was like an open book to him. He was quite perceptive. It was easy for him to tell what the other was really thinking or feeling. He wasn't a genius for nothing. "Take good care of her, Echizen."

"You don't have to remind me," Ryoma said with a shrug.

Fuji let out a chuckle. "Then will you do me another favor, Echizen?"

Ryoma stared at him as the genius gave him a creepy smile. It spelt trouble with a capital T.

"I have to make a few arrangements," Fuji said. "I'll call once when everything is set."

* * *

After a brief annoying phone call from his father, who was 'checking up' on them, he went back to Sakuno's room only to find her missing. He went to check the bathroom, but she wasn't there as well. He looked around the house and found her standing in the middle of her grandmother's bedroom.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, stepping into the room. She was facing the bed, her back turned to him. He couldn't see her expression, but he knew that she was in pain again.

"Whenever I have nightmares as a little girl, Obaa-chan would always let me sleep beside her," she said.

"You shouldn't come here if it'll only upset you," he said grimly. "Plus, you're not that well yet." She still had a slight fever.

She shook her head calmly. "No, it's just that…it feels right to be here…" she sighed. "Remembering her…with her things, her room…" Tears have started to fall, and she didn't want Ryoma to see. She hated feeling this way. She couldn't help missing her grandmother, wishing that she was still alive.

Ryoma moved toward her and stood right behind her. As he heard her silent sobs, he wrapped his arms around her, and she was surprised. It was so rare for him to do this. Most of the time, he was just stoic and nonchalant with everything around him. "You're going to get sick again," he said, masking his tenderness and worry for her with an apathetic tone.

Somehow, even with Ryoma being so close to her, Sakuno didn't feel awkward at all. It felt so right to be held by him, to be comforted by him, and she appreciated it. "Obaa-chan would scold me if I will," she said, smiling a sad smile.

For the next two days Ryoma came and went, going back and forth between Sakuno's house and his house. His father, his cousin, and his seniors have noticed it. He was spending most of his time watching Sakuno and, even though he was good at hiding emotions, everyone could tell that he was happy. Yesterday's interlude at the Ryuuzaki residence proved to be mentally exhausting for him as his seniors paid the girl a visit. It was a series of nonstop teasing and noise, and he could barely keep up with their energy. However, Ryoma was pleased that his seniors had managed to bring more smiles on the Sakuno's face.

The Burning Man, Takashi Kawamura, son of a Sushi chef, had brought a platter of delectable sushi to feed on. It was a funny moment when he tried to stop the flexible and lively Eiji Kikumaru from swiping some of the sushi. Takeshi Momoshiro, dubbed as the 'Dunk-Smash Moron' by Ryoma, had tried and failed as well because Kaoru Kaidoh, the Viper, was there to stop him. Shuuichirou Oishi, the mother hen of the group, had suffered a migraine due to their excessive vigor, and went demon on them when he snapped. And when things were getting a little out of hand, Sadaharu Inui, the Data Man, had threatened them with one of his Deluxe Inui Juices, which never failed to scare the pants off of them.

When Inui tried to get Sakuno to drink his concoction, everyone, except for Fuji and Ryoma, reacted violently. Fuji simply gave Inui a contented smile, while calmly telling him that he'll suffer great consequences if he'll let Sakuno drink his juice. On the other hand, Ryoma was tempted to smash a tennis ball right at his face. Inui had no choice but to back down.

His seniors were doing good balancing their school work and tennis life. Kaidoh and Momoshiro had already graduated from middle school and they were expected to be Regulars in high school. Kaidoh was entrusting Seigaku to Ryoma as its new captain. Kawamura was more focused on becoming a great sushi chef, but he would play tennis from time to time. Kikumaru was classmates with Fuji again, and both of them were current stars of their high school tennis team. Fuji was even appointed as captain for the incoming school year and Inui was the vice-captain. Oishi had gone to different school to pursue his dream to become a doctor, but he never neglected his tennis practices.

"You're going to be Seigaku's new captain," Sakuno remarked when she served him dinner that night. She felt a whole lot better and she wanted to repay Ryoma by cooking him Chicken Teriyaki for dinner. "I'm happy for you, Ryoma-kun."

"It's a bother if you ask me." He picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of chicken and ate it. As expected, the chicken was cooked to perfection and the sauce was delicious. The girl had always been a good cook. Even her onigiri, which were pretty simple enough to do, were good.

"You shouldn't say that. Everyone looks up to you, you know," she said, taking a seat across him, as she prepared to partake in the meal. "I'm sure you'll be a great captain."

"Whatever…" he replied with a shrug.

"Who's the next vice-captain? Will it be Horio-kun?"

He almost choked on his food when he heard the name. "Anyone but him…" He absolutely couldn't stand his loud mouth.

She giggled, understanding his view about Satoshi Horio. She had told him about Horio's performance in some of her mails. It seemed unlikely, but Horio had improved a lot. He had proven himself as a regular member, and won many of his matches in the tournaments. But his habit of being a blabbermouth had not changed, and it would usually land him trouble in more ways than one. He was certainly a handful.

* * *

The song 'Across the Line' was playing as his ringtone, forcing Ryoma to open one eyelid. He sat up and glanced around the dimmed room. He had fallen asleep on the couch in Ryuuzaki's living room. Giving his head a shake, Ryoma snatched up his cellphone on the center table and almost growled into the phone.

"Yeah?"

_"You really are a sleepyhead. It took you a while to pick up the phone." _

Ryoma grumbled and leaned back in the chair, running a hand over his face. He checked the time on the clock above the television and instantly felt annoyed. "Senpai, you do realize that it's five in the morning."

_"Exactly…It's the perfect time to call you." _

His eyebrow twitched in irritation. The caller was a complete sadist. "Are you trying to pick a fight, FUJI-senpai?"

_"Preparations are almost done." _

"Is that so?" Ryoma raked a hand through his unruly hair. "What do I have to do?"

_"Hmmm… Well, actually…"_

Ryoma sat there in silence, listening intently to Fuji on the other line, and when the explanation was done, he couldn't help but stare at his phone in bewilderment. He narrowed his gaze, squeezing his phone tighter, as he placed the phone back against his ear. "You're going to do what? Senpai, isn't that—"

_"Echizen…" _

He paused, noting the authority behind the soft voice of his senior. Fuji was quite serious about this plan, but Ryoma was having doubts. Well, the plan would certainly do well for Sakuno's emotional state. She had been in so much pain and was recovering slowly. However, Ryoma wasn't so sure if he could stay put. Even the mere thought of seeing Sakuno going along with this plan made him feel on the edge.

* * *

"Is it really okay for me to go shopping with you, Eiji-senpai?" Sakuno asked, her gaze down on the road. They were walking to the shopping district.

"Unyaah! Of course, Sakuno-chan," Eiji replied cheerfully. "And it has to be you! You know about these things better than me." He was looking sharp wearing his blue shirt underneath the gray hoodie jacket and jeans.

Sakuno had found herself in a very awkward situation that early morning. She would have slept much longer than she'd wanted to, but her unexpected guest had literally made her jump out of bed.

By the time she had opened her eyes; her cat-like senior was looming above her, his lips dangerously near hers. He had that big goofy smile on his face. The closeness was too much, and it had made her blush crazily. A shriek had followed suit, then a chuckle came from Eiji himself as he greeted her a good morning. But she was in so much panic that she had moved to the side of the bed abruptly. Much to her utter dismay, her feet had gotten tangled with the sheet, upsetting her balance, resulting to her falling down to the floor.

Clumsiness was nothing new. Nonetheless, the episode had been very embarrassing.

Incident aside, Eiji had explained his reason for being there. It seemed like he needed to buy a hair accessory for his sister as a peace offering. Eiji wasn't exactly an expert when it came to girls and their accessories, so he decided to enlist Sakuno's help.

She had immediately washed up and picked out a white-peach, full-sleeved top and a black mini-skirt to wear. She had completed the outfit with a pair of cream-colored knee-high boots.

Sakuno was happy to be of service to her senior, but the bedroom mishap kept replaying in her head. She felt so awkward that she couldn't look at Eiji straight anymore. "I-I'm sure we'll find something suitable for your sister," she said timidly.

"Yup! Yup!" he replied, and then went in front of her to grab her shoulders. "Sakuno-chan, shake off the tension, okay, nyah? You're finally out of the house after days of being cooped up inside. Besides, you're with me now."

Well, the pain and sorrow were still there in her heart, and she knew it would take time to fully recover emotionally. She couldn't help but think of her grandmother from time to time. However, the reason for her tension at that moment was because of what happened in the bedroom. She felt herself blushing again and instantly she lowered her head in shame.

Eiji pressed his lips together to keep from awing at her in admiration. She just had to be so darn CUTE! Even her sleeping form was adorable to boot. When he had found her lying on the bed with one of those tennis ball pillows tucked under her head, he couldn't help but stare and marvel at the sight. He had stayed there a while, debating on whether or not he should wake her up. But he had a schedule to keep up, so he needed to wake up the sleeping angel. He had poked her cheeks at first. When she shifted and muttered something under her breath, he leaned closer to hear what she was saying. That was when she opened her eyes.

"Hey, let's do something fun this weekend! Let's watch a movie!" Eiji said, taking her hand in his.

She stood there, blinking in confusion, before she glanced at their hands. She blushed beet red and looked away. "E-Eiji-senpai, I…" Going to a movie sounded like a good idea. But going to a movie alone with a guy was a bit too much for her heart to handle.

"Or would you prefer going with O-chibi instead?"

Her heart skipped a beat. By O-chibi Sakuno knew fully well that Eiji meant Ryoma Echizen. Before she could respond to his question, Eiji followed up his sentence.

"But O-chibi might be too boring for you. Plus, he's not romantic at all." Eiji snickered. "I know! You can go with Fujiko-chan!"

Sakuno's eyes grew wide in surprise. "Syusuke-senpai?" Eiji had a knack of coming up with ridiculous and fun nicknames for his friends. The name 'Fujko' was such a feminine name for the Genius Fuji, though it had a nice ring to it, she thought. Eiji bringing up Ryoma for a movie date was one thing, but Fuji? She found it odd.

"Nyaaah! I'm so pumped! Let's go shopping, Sakuno-chan!" he said, running to their destination while dragging her along.

Sakuno could barely keep up. "You're so energetic, Eiji-senpai."

Among her seniors, Eiji Kikumaru was the most vibrant and exuberant of them all. He was very playful, often acting like a cat, and happened to be the youngest of his family. Although sweet-tempered and friendly, he has the tendency to act like a spoiled kid. As a tennis player, he was mostly renowned for his acrobatic play. Serve and Volley was his style of play and he was, by nature, a Doubles player. Although he was a capable Singles player, he preferred playing Doubles. Together with Oishi they formed the 'Golden Pair' and they get along well.

She had been a Singles Player for most part of the District Tournament last year. But when the coach had informed her that she'll be playing Doubles in the first round of the Prefectural Tournament, she had asked Eiji for tips and advices because it was his forte. Words weren't enough for Eiji, so he paired up with her and played against Fuji and Inui a couple of times. She had a hard time keeping up with Eiji. He was all over the place. His reflexes and net play were amazing. Sakuno had learned a lot by pairing up with him.

Another interesting thing about him was the fact he loved attention. Sakuno had taken good note of that. Eiji actually focused much more when he's being cheered on. Apart from being talented in acrobats and tennis, Eiji had a lot of admirers here and there. He was a good-looking boy with his vivid red hair, parting in the center of his head, and his eyes were cat-like and blue.

Their first stop was a food stall that sold crepes. Eiji was feeling a little hungry and decided to order Banana-Choco crepes for the both of them. "My treat, Sakuno-chan!"

"Umm…Arigatou, senpai…" It certainly looked delicious. It's been a while since she last ate something sweet.

"Sakuno-chan, did you know?" he asked, taking a bite of the crepe. "O-chibi was really mean! He slammed the door in my face! Can you believe that?"

"Actually…" Somehow, Sakuno could imagine that pretty well in her head. Ryoma was Ryoma after all.

"Damn that O-chibi! Is that any way to treat a senpai?" He then ate his crepe at an unbelievable speed.

She giggled. Ryoma had always been hard on the seniors. He was gone by the time she woke up, and she was kind of glad he was absent for the whole bedroom episode. She would have died of embarrassment already. She figured that he had probably gone back home.

"Nyah? Oh, yeah, nyah! I haven't apologized for surprising you in bed," Eiji exclaimed, caressing her hands between his, as she held the crepe. "Sorry about that, Sakuno-chan."

She shook her head and gave him a kind smile. "It's all right."

"Funnnyaaah! Sakuno-chan is so kawaii!" He released her hands, moved behind her in a second, and coiled his arms around her waist. "Can I take you home with me?"

Her cheeks heated up. "Huh? Eh?! E-Eiji-senpai!" she squeaked, shutting her eyes tight, as she felt his hard, broad chest against her back. Eiji had always been the touchy-feely type, and after the many times she had bonded and trained with him, she should have been used to this by now. But she was just so shy and timid that she couldn't help feeling nervous.

"You know what? Now that I think about it… A little bit closer and we could have kissed at that time!"

Just then, there was a loud thud. Opening her eyes, she realized that Eiji was no longer hugging her. "Eh? Eiji-senpai?" She peered over her shoulder and gasped when she saw her senior lying half-unconsciously on the concrete ground. "E-Eiji-senpai?! W-What happened?!"

"Nyaaah? Nyah-nyah! Sakuno-chan, look at all the pretty stars," he said giddily, chuckling like an idiot.

Sakuno noticed two tennis balls lying on the ground not far from her cat-like senior. _Did he get hit? _She looked around, hoping to spot a familiar tennis player, but there was none. _Coincidence? _ _But someone must have served those balls… _

_To be continued… _

* * *

**JC: **How's that for a second chapter? Guess who hit Eiji-senpai with those tennis balls! I just love Eiji-senpai and I had to write about him. And wasn't Ryoma sweet? He took care of Sakuno while she was sick. So cute! And I love it whenever his father teases him. Ryoma's certainly jealous of Fuji-senpai, isn't he? But it's good that Sakuno is recovering from the emotional pain thanks to everyone. Now then, please REVIEW! No flaming!

**Next Chapter: **What's this? Eiji asks Fuji to take over as her date? An intimate moment ensues between Ryoma and Sakuno in the kitchen. And the others seem to be planning a surprise for Sakuno.


	3. Unbreakable Bonds

**JC: **Chapter 3 is here! Reviewers and readers, I extend to you my sincerest gratitude for the support. I'm so totally into this story. Jealousy strikes in the heart of Ryoma Echizen, Fuji snaps a picture, Nanjiroh continues to tease his son, and Sakuno received first aid from Ryoma himself. Get ready for the humor, the drama, and the friendship. Sorry, no Tezuka yet here, but he'll appear soon enough. I hope to read your reviews after this chapter. Enjoy!

**Note: **The story takes place during Sakuno and Ryoma's 3rd year of middle school.

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis. All rights belong to Takeshi Konomi.**  
**

* * *

**A Piece of Heaven **

Third Set: Unbreakable Bonds

There were many things Ryoma didn't care about. He couldn't count them, because they were simply not important enough to remember. Tennis had always been his life. Anything outside of tennis was mundane to him, though he wasn't a callous person to not care about his family and friends. His seniors from his old tennis team were annoying to a certain degree, but they were respectable as players. He valued his mother and cousin, and even his annoying dad and older brother. There was Karupin too, his most beloved cat and companion at home. But his relationship with them would be considered as normal compared to what he had with Sakuno Ryuuzaki.

It might have had something to do with her clumsiness or her bad sense of direction. It could have been her incredible cooking skills or those insanely long braids. He did admit that her tennis had improved a lot. Aside from the emails from her, he had occasionally received pictures and videos from either Fuji or Inui, much to his surprise. Ryoma would think of them as stalkers sometimes. The amount of photos and videos they had of Sakuno were enough to host an exhibit. Of course, part of the reason was to keep him updated, but it was mostly because they wanted to tease him. Stalker or not, the pictures and videos were indeed useful. He was able to keep a good track of Sakuno's progress in tennis.

Sakuno was an unprecedented situation for him. When he saw her during her time of sorrow, he felt an odd, painful throb in his chest. And when she started smiling again, his heart felt lighter. It was amazing how she could affect him so much.

His acrobatic senior had drawn the braided girl out of hiding, taking her out shopping. Ryoma had followed them discreetly. He had maintained his composure while Eiji had held her hand. He had tried not to care when her innocent eyes seemed to shimmer in the morning sunlight as she smiled at Eiji. But he had finally snapped when Eiji had given her a hug from behind. He doubted that Eiji was aware of this. Eiji had a tendency to do these things without noticing.

Ryoma, being the domineering kid that he was, had pulled out a tennis ball from his pocket, and then hit the ball with a broomstick he grabbed from a corner. The ball had hit its target head on, but there was another ball that hit Eiji's head at the same time, which knocked the guy out. Before Ryoma could wonder further about this incident, he caught a glimpse of Fuji hiding behind a stall with a racket in his hand. That was suspicious. Then again, Ryoma had never understood what went through the genius's head.

The spying continued. By the time at the boutique, he was hiding behind a potted plant in a corner. He had convinced himself that he was doing this to protect Sakuno from Eiji's shameless flirting. He thought Eiji would stop touching her, but he couldn't keep his hands to himself. It irritated him to see her laughing and smiling at his jokes. She looked happy talking to him.

Why did that make his chest hurt?

"Echizen, what are you doing?"

Ryoma bit back his gasp, immediately masking his face with indifference. He looked back and found Fuji smiling pleasantly at him.

"Hmmm…Spying on Eiji and Sakuno-chan? That's so unlike you, Echizen."

"Senpai should mind his own business," he replied curtly.

Fuji was amused. Ryoma didn't even try to deny the spying part. "You're not supposed to be here, Echizen," he told the young lad.

Ryoma raised a brow, a cocky smile etched on his face. "Right back at you, senpai. I saw you," he said in an accusing tone. "You served that other ball."

The genius simply chuckled. "Saaa…What on earth are you talking about?" He spun on his heel, getting ready to leave. "I have to go. Don't forget the favor, okay?"

"He's so weird," Ryoma muttered under his breath, watching his senior walk out of the boutique. He deeply sighed and brought his gaze back at the couple. Damn, they looked like they were on a date. It was upsetting. It made him feel bad enough when her attention was on Fuji during their last visit. Now she was focused solely on Eiji. He didn't like this one bit.

* * *

"How did your shopping with Eiji go?" Syusuke Fuji asked Sakuno when they settled on the park bench.

"It went well. We've managed to find a good peace offering for his sister." She touched her cheek with a finger as she tilted her head in slight concern. "I hope his sister would like it."

"I'm sure any girl would like it," Fuji replied, stroking his camera as if it was a cat. The girl beside him looked absolutely adorable with her curious expression. He had the urge to take a picture.

"Yeah, you're probably right, senpai," she said, smiling at him. It was right after lunch that she and Eiji had bumped into Fuji. Eiji had claimed to have more errands to run, so he had asked Fuji to take over as her date. The latter was more than happy to oblige. Sakuno knew that Eiji was merely teasing, knowing how playful and mischievous he could be, but she couldn't help blushing at the remark. Fuji, on the other hand, had a contented and calm expression as usual.

"I hope Eiji didn't just force you to come."

She shook her head. "I wanted a change of pace. Besides, it's hard to resist his googly eyes," she admitted with a giggle. "Senpai, I see you brought your racket and camera."

"I went to the stringer earlier to get it fixed," Fuji replied. "As for my camera…Well…"

"Photography is your passion," Sakuno continued for him.

He chuckled. "And you're my favorite model, Sakuno-chan."

The blush was apparent on her face. "Senpai, you're such a tease," she said, burying her face in her palm.

It was no secret that he liked taking pictures of her. He was an aspiring photographer and she was his inspiration. He had been enamored by her charms, her innocence, and her inner-strength. Watching her was simply not enough for him. She was so beautiful that he felt compelled to press the shutter whenever he got the chance. Sometimes she wasn't aware. The snapshots would just come and go. He had employed different styles, different angles, and different effects, and he always made sure to capture her very soul in every photo.

He had once submitted an emotive photo of her for a magazine contest last year. She wasn't aware of his presence when he took it. It was indeed a rare moment, and she had looked very serene and breathtaking with her soft gaze and relaxed smile in the photo. And he felt so lucky to have witnessed such a sight. The photo had earned him 1st place, which was a great achievement. He had shown the magazine to her when it came, and her reaction was so priceless.

"Umm…Syusuke-senpai..."

"Yes?"

"Obaa-chan really liked the photos you took of me," she said, looking down at her lap, as she clasped her hands together. "She even compiled them all in one album." A sad smile appeared on her face.

Fuji could sense her pain and longing. She looked like she was going to cry. "Sakuno-chan…" He lifted a hand to her shoulder. "That album…" She gazed up at him. "It must have been special to Ryuuzaki-sensei."

She nodded. "She had been so meticulous about it… It was an anthology of her granddaughter as she once said. Did you know? She even showed if off to the other teachers. I felt so embarrassed." She giggled as she recalled that in her mind.

She was faring well, Fuji thought. The pain was there, but she was strong enough to smile and reminisce about her grandmother now. There was still a need to be cautious around her. Moving on wasn't as easy as it sounded. It was a difficult process, and she needed all the support she deserved.

"Life isn't fair, don't you agree? It's unfair to everyone." She looked up at the sky. "Obaa-chan told me this once before. People often lose things, whether they want to or not, but they would always gain something in return. Now that I've lost her…I wonder…" She looked at him. "What did I gain in return?"

Those were such deep words. Fuji had always find her mature side endearing. It was true that life was unfair. It was only natural. "Sakuno-chan, I can't give you the answer, but I'm sure you'll realize it sooner or later," he told her. "And your grandmother will be watching you from the heavens."

"Obaa-chan is very much alive in my heart," she said cheerfully, lifting a hand to her chest. "She took good care of me, and I love her so much. And for that, I do owe her a wish."

"A wish?"

"Yes… I still have doubts about myself, but I'll do my best for her."

"Saaa… I'm sure you can do it, Sakuno-chan."

Letting out a soft giggle, she hopped onto her feet and took a few steps away from the bench. She clasped her hands together behind her back and sighed. "I really made you all worried, didn't I?" she asked, her bangs shading her eyes.

"Sakuno-chan…"

"I want to make it up to you…to all of you."

"Then would you make us your delicious desserts again, Sakuno-chan?" She looked back at him in surprise, and he continued. "Bento or onigiri would be nice too." The girl's cooking skill was worthy of a thousand praise, and the Seigaku team was avid fans of her food.

A bright smile graced her lips. "Of course! I'd be happy to, senpai!" she replied cheerfully.

CLICK!

She blinked in confusion. "Eh?" And as she saw the camera in front of Fuji's face, her face flushed red. "S-Senpai, not again!"

Another CLICK went off. The genius did it again. Could he help it if his junior was irresistibly cute?

"Senpai, mou!" she pleaded, trying to grab the camera from him. It was a futile effort. His reflexes were far superior to hers. "It's so embarrassing…"

"Demo Sakuno-chan is so kawaii." And it was quite fun to tease the girl. Her expressions were so random and interesting.

* * *

After dealing with all the spying, stalking, and making sure Sakuno was safe from Fuji, Ryoma made his way back home to gather his clothes. He was going to spend another night at her place. His father had suggested staying with her for a while when he came back from America. Coach Ryuuzaki had played a vital role in his father's tennis career. No matter how annoying his father was to Coach Ryuuzaki, they maintained a good bond with one another. It was thanks to this bond that his father held so much concern for Sakuno. It was probably the fatherly instincts as well. Then again, his father was exceptionally nice to every pretty girl on the planet.

Upon checking his cellphone, he found a message from Sakuno asking what he wanted for dinner. He could come up with an elaborate Japanese menu in his head, though he preferred something simple for tonight. He texted her back stating that he wanted _Tonkatsu_.

"Ooohhh, so Sakuno-chan is cooking you dinner. So nice! I'm a little jealous."

Ryoma stifled a gasp as he whipped his head around to find his father peeking at his phone. "Ever heard of privacy?" he said almost grumbling. "Stupid oyaji…"

Tanned and dark-haired Nanjiroh chuckled. "Now, now Seishounen, no need to get testy. Consider yourself lucky that you have a sweet girl like Sakuno-chan cooking for you." He ruffled Ryoma's hair. "You guys have been living together like newlyweds."

Ryoma slapped his father's hand away and shot him a glare. "It was your idea in the first place."

"I don't hear you complaining," the father replied. "If I didn't know you better, I'd say you're enjoying it."

Ryoma merely shrugged. He couldn't say anything after that, and he hated it every time his father got the last say.

Much to his dismay, he couldn't tear his thoughts free from his father's words, which merely created stress for him. And so, when he arrived at Sakuno's place, he nearly collided with the front door. It was odd for him to act this way. He was usually sharp and alert.

A clatter came from inside the house. Ryoma grimaced and went inside, his thoughts temporarily forgotten.

"R-Ryoma-kun?!"

There she was, sitting on the kitchen floor, looking distressed. Shards of broken plates were around her. Ryoma sighed. Of course, no matter how talented of a cook she was, Sakuno was still prone to ditzy spells. The broken plates were prime example of that. She must have slipped.

"You're a walking disaster."

She blushed, looking dejected. "I know…" It was so embarrassing.

Ryoma sighed and walked up to her, extending his hand. "Mada mada dane, Ryuuzaki."

Her heart skipped a beat. It has been a long time since he said that infamous line to her. Sure, he had written that line in his mails a few times, but hearing it coming from his mouth personally was different. It made her happy. It was strange how one line could invoke such emotions. Well, Ryoma was indeed special to her, and so she gave him a smile in return as helped her up. "Arigatou, Ryo—"

"You're hurt."

She blinked in surprise. "Huh?" She then noticed the cut on her index finger. She was bleeding. "I must have cut myself with the broken plates here."

He gently squeezed her hand. "It's because you're not careful," he muttered under his breath. Before she could reply, he placed her injured finger inside his mouth.

"R-Ryoma-kun?!" Her whole face went completely red. Ryoma did such a bold thing! Her heart speed had skyrocketed. She felt like it was going to explode any minute. It would have been a whole lot easier if he had let her wash the wound with soap and water. So what compelled him to do this? She couldn't even move anymore. She had completely gone stiff. This was too much pressure. "Umm…R-Ryoma-kun…"

He removed her finger from his mouth and continued to hold her hand. Eiji and Fuji had held the very same hand, and it made his chest hurt. He looked into her brown eyes as he entwined his fingers with hers. "Ryuuzaki…"

She swallowed hard. His hand was big yet it was so warm and tender.

He then released her hand, tearing his eyes away from her gaze. "I'll clean up this mess. You should get a band aid for that," he said, standing up and walking to the broom closet.

Sakuno felt confused. Ryoma had always been so complicated, but it was the first time he had held her hand like that. And it seemed like he wanted to say something important to her.

Or was it just her imagination?

* * *

As mentioned before, Ryoma wasn't a morning person. There were a few things that would get him into a good mood in the morning and one of them was a scrumptious breakfast. So when he woke up to the sweet, succulent aroma coming from the kitchen, Ryoma knew that he was going to have a happy stomach to fill. He followed his nose to the kitchen and stopped by the hallway when he saw the girl working. To his amazement, she seemed to be in high spirits. This was good, considering the awkwardness that had transpired with the whole bleeding finger thing. He didn't know what came over him for doing it. Because of that, they had barely spoken a word during dinner last night. Ryoma was not necessarily a talkative person, unless one would consider taunting, provoking, and tennis pep talks as means of conversation. Apart from that, he'd usually engage in small talks and nothing more. But the silence last night was sort of suffocating.

Sakuno was so absorbed in her work that she failed to sense his presence there. She moved gracefully in the kitchen and knew exactly what she was doing. She looked poised and confident, which was a rare sight for him, and he didn't even realize that admiring look he was giving her. When she finally saw him, she nearly dropped the utensils in her hands.

"R-Ryoma-kun!" She felt terribly awkward. "Umm…erm…O-Ohayou…" she greeted timidly, bowing her head. Honestly, his habit of making sudden appearances was not good for her heart. Last night's event was still crystal clear in her head and it made her feel edgy.

The stacks of bento boxes on the counter didn't go unnoticed. They were already filled with food, decorated brilliantly by her hand, and she was currently finishing the eighth box. She had woken up very early to make them.

Although his genius senior had specifically told him not to follow them yesterday, Ryoma still did, being the stubborn kid he was. And when did he ever listen to him? Well, he was close enough to listen in their conversation. Sakuno wanted to make it up to everyone, so Fuji requested for the food. Of course, Ryoma was aware of Fuji's plan. As a matter of fact, all of his seniors were in it, and he would be lying if he'd say that he wasn't curious on how it'll turn out.

"Umm…Ryoma-kun, I made breakfast," she said, gesturing toward the table.

She had prepared a traditional Japanese-style breakfast consisting of steamed rice, miso soup, grilled fish, and rolled omelet and tsukemono pickles. The spread looked absolutely delicious and Ryoma's stomach seemed to comply. When it came to cooking, she never failed to deliver. He found it impressive that she was still able to make breakfast for him in spite of all the bento dishes she had to do.

She was about to return her focus on her work when Ryoma suddenly called her.

"Ryuuzaki…" He sounded so casual.

"Yes, Ryoma-kun?"

And then he replied in perfect English, "_Good job_…"

Two simple words to understand, and Sakuno's face became red, much to her dismay. Ryoma had just complimented her, and she was certainly not prepared for it. "A-Arigatou…Ryoma-kun…" It felt good to be appreciated, especially by the boy she so greatly admired, but she couldn't bear to look at him straight no thanks to her shyness.

Preparations were done by 10 AM. The bento boxes were neatly wrapped in cloth, ready to be transported, and Sakuno had donned in an outfit, which suited her petite body well. It was a nice pink short-sleeved mini dress with brown laces over a white long-sleeved blouse. And she had chosen a pair of brown knee-high boots for footwear.

Ryoma was all set as well in his black shirt, red hoodie jacket, and denim jeans. He preferred not to wear his cap for the day just for the heck of it.

"Syusuke-senpai did tell me to prepare all this food," she said, tilting her head in wonder, as she tapped a finger on her cheek, "but he didn't say where we're going."

Ryoma knew, but he wasn't planning on telling her. It was supposed to be a surprise. The seniors, her best friend, and the former freshmen trio had gone out of their way to prepare this surprise, and it was part of his job to keep Sakuno oblivious.

* * *

Yoyogi Koen was one of Tokyo's largest city parks, featuring wide lawns, ponds and a forested area. It was a great place for jogging, picnicking and other outdoor activities. Although the park has relatively few Cherry Blossom trees compared to other sites in Tokyo, the place was still a perfect viewing spot in spring.

Sakuno had been there before with her grandmother and she was swept with nostalgia the moment she saw the sign at the entrance. She didn't expect that her Syusuke-senpai would bring her to that park when he came to pick them up. He had specifically asked his sister to drive and drop them off at the venue. Furthermore, in a particular spot under the largest Cherry Blossom tree of the park, a huge sheet was neatly spread with a wide platter of assorted sushi in the center. A plate of sliced oranges and apples sat right next to it. She also noticed the portable karaoke system by the tree.

What was all this?

As if on cue, her Seigaku seniors, with the exception of Oishi and Tezuka, came out of hiding and greeted the young girl cheerily, much to her surprise.

"S-Senpai-tachi?!" she exclaimed, lifting a hand over her mouth. "W-What are—"

"Sakuno-chaaaaaan!" Eiji lunged at the young girl and gave her a great big bear hug. "You look adorable as ever! I could just gobble you up right now." He was rubbing his cheek against her like a cat would.

Fuji's eyebrow twitched as Ryoma narrowed his gaze dangerously at the redhead. Inui noticed their reactions immediately and decided to intervene before things could get ugly. "Kikumaru, there's 83 percent chance that she won't survive if you keep choking her like that," he explained in monotone as he adjusted his glasses. _And 95.87 percent chance of suffering their wrath later if you keep doing it. _

Sadaharu Inui was an intelligent player, specializing in Data Tennis. He was known for his knack of collecting player data, so he was usually seen carrying a notebook around. He was fairly tall with short, spiky black hair. His serves, height, and his data make it possible for him to attain full control in his net play.

"Nyaah! Gomen, gomen, Sakuno-chan," Eiji said, backing up, as he stuck out his tongue. "I just can't help it." He chuckled.

"It's all right, Eiji-senpai," she said with a smile.

"How are you, Sakuno-chan?" Takashi Kawamura asked. The senpai with a slight Elvis Presley hairstyle and brown eyes, who was normally soft-spoken, gentle and shy off the court, was a former Regular member specializing in power tennis. After middle school, he had decided to focus on his dream on becoming a great sushi chef like his father. But he would play tennis from time to time.

"I'm fine, senpai," she said, aware that he was concerned over her present state of emotions. "Did you make all that sushi yourself?"

Kawamura smiled sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head. "Umm…yeah…I prepared them especially for this day."

"WOAH! This is amazing! Too amazing!"

Attention was shifted towards Seigaku's Trickster and former vice-captain, Takeshi Momoshiro. He was one of the taller players on the team and his body was well toned with daily workouts. He has great pride in keeping his black hair very spiky. He has a very open and friendly personality. One distinguished trait about him was his big appetite. He was always up for a good meal. And so when he pried open Sakuno's bento boxes, he almost couldn't wait to taste the delectable goodies. The food she had prepared were like gems in his eyes.

"Don't you dare drool over them, moron," Kaoru Kaidoh hissed, giving him a stern look. A counterpuncher with monstrous stamina, Kaidoh was Momoshiro's eternal rival. Often seen wearing a bandana, the snake-like Kaidoh had successfully led Seigaku to victory in the Nationals as their captain.

"Are you trying to pick a fight with me, Mamushi?!" Momoshiro retorted.

"You wanna go at it, idiot?"

Momoshiro grabbed hold of his shirt and growled, "Bring it on then!"

"Oooopss! Stop! Stop!" Eiji went in between them and pushed them apart. "Now, now, you two! Have you forgotten why we've all gathered here? Let's try not to ruin this day, okay nyah?"

The rivals immediately calmed down.

"Seems like everyone's here!"

Sakuno perked up at the sound of the familiar voice. "Tomo-chan!" she called out as she saw her best friend approaching with the former freshmen trio.

"Hi there, Sakuno! Isn't it a great day for a picnic? Plus, the Sakura are in full bloom and this place is just perfect for _Hanami_!" Typical of Tomoka to be hyper and loud, but it was one of the many things Sakuno liked about her.

"It's been a while, Ryuuzaki-san," Kachirou Katou and Katsuo Mizuno greeted her at the same time. They were always nice and polite. They had been present at the funeral, and Sakuno had seen them shedding tears for her grandmother. Both surprisingly had gotten better in tennis, especially in Doubles. They were even dubbed as the Second Golden Pair of Seigaku due to their teamwork.

"You're looking good, Ryuuzaki," Satoshi Horio remarked. He has short, brown hair and a unibrow, and was known for his loudmouth, bragging tendencies. Despite this flaw, he was a Regular member of the tennis team, and had earned a decent reputation as a player in the tournaments.

"Well, this is a surprise," she said.

"Unnyaaah! Enough with the greetings," Eiji butted in, raising a fist up high. "Let's get the party started!"

Sakuno was more than pleased to see them gathered there for the flower viewing. It was a shame that Tezuka and Oishi couldn't join them as both were currently busy.

* * *

The food she had prepared was like a gift from the heavens, as Momoshiro and Eiji had described. Egg rolls, Fried Chicken Kaaraage, Beef Misono, Vegetable Tempura, Nori Wasabi Fries, Fresh Salad and coleslaw—everything was cooked to perfection. Everyone had literally stuffed themselves, which had been an interesting episode for Sakuno, though she had a brief moment of anxiety when Momo and Kaidoh started wrestling for the last piece of tempura. Eiji was acting like a cat for most part and had stolen food from Momo and Kaidoh a couple of times when they weren't looking. Inui had taken some valuable data once again. As for the others, well, it was more or less a peaceful meal for them.

"Sakuno-chan, Taka-san, you've really outdone yourselves with this," Fuji said, taking a piece of his favorite Wasabi Rolls from the platter. Given his bizarre palette, Fuji was the only one who can handle the extreme spiciness of the roll.

"Well, my dad trained me well," Kawamura, also known as 'Taka-san', humbly said.

"A-Arigatou, senpai… I-It's just that I enjoy cooking very much," Sakuno said in the same humble tone as Kawamura.

"Hoi, Hoi!" Eiji exclaimed after stuffing his mouth with the last piece of egg roll. "Okay, guys! It's time for Karaoke!" He grabbed the wireless microphone. "First up is Ryuuzaki Sakuno-chan!"

She gasped. "M-Me? Sing? No…Wait… I-I…" Eij didn't give her much of a choice as he hauled her up and placed the microphone in her hand. "B-But Eiji-senpai, singing isn't really my—"

"You're our honored guest, so sing for us, Sakuno-chan!" Eiji said with a wink. "Pretty please."

Sakuno's nerves were getting the best of her. Everyone was looking forward to hear her sing, but she wasn't confident about her voice. What if she messed up? What if she sounded horrible? That would be embarrassing.

"Go on, Sakuno! I know you can sing well," Tomoka encouraged.

As the music started, Sakuno gripped the microphone firmly. Memories of her grandmother flooded her mind in an instant, and she felt like she could sing it all of a sudden. Closing her eyes, she pictured her grandmother smiling at her and began to sing.

_Kaze wa mada tsumetai kedo  
Ki no hayai tsubomi ga hitotsu  
Sore ni kizuita tonari no kigi ga  
Makeru mono ka to momoiro ni somaru_

_Kotoshi ga hayazaki na no wa kimi no sei da yo  
Kouende ichiban chiisana sakura no ki yo_

Everyone stared at Sakuno in awe. Tomoka wasn't kidding about her singing and she was proud of her best friend.

_Haya sugiru ka na? Sou omotta keredo  
Kigatsukeba sakura no naka  
Ichiban saki no ano ko wa doko ka na?  
Tonari no ookina ki ni kiite miyou  
Ame ga futte mo sou kaze ga fuite mo  
Chiisana hana wa mada  
Kawarazu matteiru boku o matteiru_

Ryoma was impressed that he secretly smiled. It was a good thing his seniors were so focused on Sakuno or else he wouldn't hear the end of their teasing. Cooking and tennis aside, he never knew that the girl had this kind of talent. She never ceased to amaze him.

_Just waiting for me, just waiting for you, it's everything._

_Atatakai kaze no naka de  
Sakura wa michi ni saite iku  
Midori no naka de mada saku kimi wa  
Boku no kokoro o tsuyoku shiteiru yo_

_Guuzen (guuzen kimi o) mitsuketa youna ki ga shiteta kedo  
Mae o muiteta kara ue o muiteta kara kimi to (kimi to deae tanda)_

_Umaku iku ka na? Sou omotta keredo  
Kigatsukeba sakura no naka  
Aruku sokudo wa sukoshi agatte  
Atarashii machi ni mo nareteiru  
Ichinen tatte mo sou juunen tatte mo  
Kimi o sagashite tada  
Tsumetai kaze no naka mae o muiteiru_

She had sung this song to her grandmother on her birthday once by request, and she remembered how her soothing voice would please the woman. Was it a coincidence that Eiji picked this song for her?

_miwake wa tsukanai keredo kimi o matteiru yo  
FURAINGU CHERII…_

_FURAINGU CHERII…_

The song ended, and then there was moment of silence. Sakuno lowered her head and fidgeted with the microphone. She wondered if her singing was decent enough. She hasn't done this for a while, so she couldn't blame them if they thought it was unpleasant.

Then the silence was broken with a sound of applause.

Sakuno was surprised. Everyone, even Ryoma and Kaidoh, were clapping their hands. She couldn't believe it.

"You have a beautiful voice, Sakuno-chan," Fuji was the first to compliment her. The camera was steady in his hand. He had photographed another great moment. The scene was absolutely perfect, and she looked so angelic while the pink petals of the Sakura danced around her with the gentle breeze of nature.

"_Not bad_," Ryoma said in English, which made her blush furiously.

The others gave their fair share of compliments, though Eiji accompanied his praises with a hug, which annoyed the heck out of Ryoma. As for Kaidoh, his compliment came out short by Momo's standards, and the two ended up arguing again. Inui claimed that her performance was good data and had scribbled down the necessary info in his notepad.

Eiji was itching to enthrall the audience with his singing next, so he grabbed the microphone before anyone could. "Now it's time for the great Kikumaru to perform!" he announced.

Eiji's slightly out-of-tune singing was tolerable enough for the young lad's ears, though Ryoma wondered if he was messing up the lyrics on purpose just to get a few laughs.

Kawamura was a lot worse when it was his turn. The man kept shouting with a burning passion. Who knew the microphone would do a complete 360 on his personality?

Katsuo and Kachirou's duet performance proved to be a lot better, while Horio's voice was bad enough to give everyone a migraine. On the other hand, Tomoka's voice was pretty good, so there were no problems with her.

Everyone got the chance to sing, even Kaidoh and Ryoma. Both had decisively refused to partake in the activity at first. Inui, knowing how much of a killjoy they were, had managed to persuade them with his Inui Juice. Having been victimized by Inui's juices many, many times had taught them to never ever get on Inui's bad side. It was coercion at its best. Leave it to Inui and his weird concoctions for that.

* * *

Karaoke, card games, charades—they had done them all, and Sakuno had the time of her life. Her grandmother would have been happy to see her laugh and smile so brightly. Fuji felt satisfied. Everything went well just as planned. The shine in her eyes had finally returned. She was more of herself now than before. It was truly worth the trouble to see her so happy again. But Fuji's surprise has yet to reach the conclusion.

"Sakuno-chan…"

The young girl brought her innocent gaze to Fuji. "Senpai?"

"No one can replace your grandmother, but I want you to know that you have a family in us," Fuji said with a pleasant smile. "We held this event just for you."

Her doe-like eyes grew wide in surprise. They did this for her?

"Fujiko-chan planned the whole thing, nyah!" Eiji butted in, making a v-sign with his fingers. "And we all agreed to help because we wanted you to be happy."

"Sakuno-chan isn't only Ryuuzaki-sensei's granddaughter to us," Momoshiro added, scratching the back of his head, as he smiled goofily. "She's an important kouhai and friend." Shockingly, Kaidoh hissed and nodded his head in agreement.

"You've supported us all the time and we wanted to return the favor," Kawamura timidly said, slightly blushing. "Like Momo said, Sakuno-chan is important."

All of this was just for her?

It almost felt like a dream. Their words had struck her heart, and she could feel the tears coming. She had never considered the thought of having another family. She didn't even realize how important she was to everyone there. Her grandmother was her only relative by blood. When she died, she felt so alone and miserable. The pain was unbearable. Nevertheless, her grandmother was right. Things were getting better for her. Everyone was there to support her. They will never leave her alone.

Tears sprang to her eyes, yet she was smiling at the same time. She was so touched and felt so lucky to have them. She had an unbreakable bond with all of them.

Tomoka pulled Sakuno into her embrace and gently rubbed her back. "We'll always be here for you, Sakuno," she cooed. "Always…"

Fuji took the opportunity and snapped a picture. A girl comforting her best friend was such a lovely portrait. "This would make a fine addition to my collection," he muttered, and Inui merely scribbled down some notes.

Ryoma inwardly smiled, seeing how happy Sakuno was. A smile suited Sakuno the best. She was like the flowers in spring; beautiful when they bloom. He could see that she was going to be fine as life goes on. He just hoped there won't be any more misfortunes for her. The girl deserved a life full of happiness, not sorrow.

* * *

It was about 4:30 in the afternoon when Eiji discovered Kawamura's secret stash of sushi. Being the cunning, sneaky cat, he took a peek inside and gasped at the wonderful variety of sushi rolls. "AHHH! Taka-san, you cheat!" he shouted out, pointed an accusing finger at the aspiring Sushi Chef. "Not planning to share, nyah? Bad, Taka-san! Bad! Bad! Bad!"

Kawamura gave him a surprised look. "Eiji, what are you—" He paused for a while as he saw the box of sushi in Eiji's hand. "T-That BOX! Eiji, don't eat them. Those are for—"

"Oh, I get it," Eiji cut him off, winking an eye. "This stash is for Sakuno-chan. That's so nice of you, Taka-san." He picked out one roll and went over to Sakuno.

"Eiji, hold on!" Kawamura pleaded.

"Sakuno-chan!" Eiji called out. When the girl turned to him, he immediately popped the sushi roll into her mouth. "Taka-san was saving these for you." He then showed her the bento box of sushi.

Kawamura planted a hand over his face, sighing glumly. "He really did it…"

"Hmmm…Taka-san, are those, by any chance, the sushi rolls I ordered?" Fuji asked, innocently pointing at Sakuno and Eiji's direction.

Eiji blinked. "Nyah?" His face grew pale. "EEEEHHHHH?! These are yours, Fuji?! Then that means…" He robotically turned to Sakuno. The girl was frozen like a statue for a while before she burst out coughing and choking. Eiji was sorry. He didn't know that it was Fuji's. But Fuji's palette was so bizarre for a normal human. "Damn you, Fuji! This is your fault!"

"Saaa…" Fuji, as usual, remained calm. "I don't see how this is my fault since you were the one who forced her to eat the roll."

"Ah! Sakuno is turning red," Tomoka pointed out. "Senpai, quick! She needs water!"

Apparently, Inui was pouring himself a drink in a glass. Panicking, Eiji swiped the glass out of his hand and forced the liquid down her throat. "There ya go!" He sighed in relief as Sakuno was calming down. "Sorry about that, Sakuno-chan."

"Kikumaru…" Inui pushed his glasses up, a frown etched on his face. "You've made a terrible mistake."

"Huh?" Eiji raised a brow. "How so?"

Ryoma let out a sigh. "Senpai, Ryuuzaki doesn't look good anymore," he said.

"Wow…" Sakuno muttered with a goofy smile on her face. "Everything is spinning…" She was wobbling her body from left to right.

Momoshiro snickered. "You've done it again, Eiji-senpai."

"There's 99.8 percent chance that she'll collapse any second now," Inui said.

Eiji glanced at everyone, who was giving him random, accusing looks, before realization finally hit him. He had just fed Sakuno one of Inui's vile drinks! The HORROR!

_To be continued… _

* * *

**JC: **Inui's juice strikes again! But it wasn't Inui's fault this time. Poor Eiji had panicked and given her the wrong drink. The horror, indeed. Juice aside now…The Flower Viewing party was a success. Everyone held it just for Sakuno. I can't help but feel so pleased with such moments, especially when I'm writing them. Family is important, and Sakuno found a family in them. Speaking of family, Ryoma had been staying with Sakuno for a while. Like Nanjiroh said, they're like newlyweds. I couldn't help it.

**Next Chapter: **Ryoma's mind wander to a dangerous area that is horrifically intriguing and temping. Doubles anyone? And Ryoma decides to detest bubblegum and seaweed. School's gonna start soon!


	4. Matters of the Heart

**JC: **Oh, gosh…I was supposed to update this three days ago. Internet sucked! In addition to that, I was pretty busy with Cosplay again. I just debuted my Tamahome and Haruka Nanase cosplay last week. I also got into Shingeki no Kyojin recently. I'm now a big fan of LevixHanji pair. Okay, now, time to focus on fanfic. Here's chapter four, my dear readers. I've been very pleased with the reviews on the previous chapter. This one's extra long. I couldn't help myself. The ideas just poured in. I hope you guys will enjoy it.

**Note: **The story takes place during Sakuno and Ryoma's 3rd year of middle school.

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis. All rights belong to Takeshi Konomi.

* * *

**A Piece of Heaven**

Fourth Set: Matters of the Heart

Hoping for better luck to come was a bit supercilious for Ryoma. It elated him to see the girl so happy that he thought everything was going to be fine for her. But he thought so soon. If a secret agency would somehow discover the unrelenting talent of Sadaharu Inui, then they'd probably hire him on the spot and assigned him to the chemical department in charge of creating poison and biochemical weapons. Inui has the knack for it, though his current versions were just enough to make anyone paralyze or sick to their stomach. An overdose of it may kill a person.

Ryoma had no plans on giving that theory a try. He had enough of Inui's concoctions.

How many times was he victimized? Oh, yeah, he had lost count after 10.

It wasn't entirely Inui's fault for the misfortune. Hell, if anything, Inui merely wanted to try his new drink himself. However, their very own feline had thoughtlessly snatched the drink away from Inui and had given it to Sakuno. It had been a big shock for all them. Poor Sakuno had felt dizzy and wobbly for the first 2 minutes before she finally succumbed to the darkness. Ryoma, as if his body had a mind of its own, had immediately come to her rescue, taking her in his arms.

Momoshiro had been a fan of their tandem every since Ryoma was a freshman, and Fuji had quickly took note of the big smug on his face after what Ryoma did. Eiji was a big fanboy himself, but he couldn't bring himself to be joyful since the unconscious Sakuno in his o-chibi's arms was his fault. Tomoka was almost hyperventilating, her protectiveness for her best friend kicking into high gear. It was a good thing she had a good amount of respect for her Eiji-senpai or else she would have given him some harsh tongue lashing. Horio, Katsuo and Kachirou had done their part good by helping her calm down.

Ryoma had wanted to murder his senpai then, but Sakuno was first priority. The girl was still on the road to a full recovery from emotional and mental stress and this had to happen. Ryoma had made a mental note to pummel his Eiji-senpai in a tennis match later on.

Fuji had taken the initiative to make a long distance call to a certain bespectacled tennis player in Germany just to tell him about what Eiji did. Eiji had grown pale when the phone was handed over to him and the cold voice on the other line had sent chills down his spine.

"Gomen, gomen! I didn't know! Eh? You want me to do what?" Eiji whined and shook his head. "But I don't…Hai, Hai! I'll do it, nyaaaahh!" He then tossed the phone back to Fuji and started running laps.

A drop of sweat trickled down Inui's face as he turned to Fuji. "Did you have to call Tezuka?" he asked.

"Well, Eiji needs to be punished," Fuji replied, keeping a calm smile, as he inserted the phone back into his pocket. "Although I think this isn't enough…"

One thing that Inui had learned over the years of knowing Fuji was to never get on his bad side. The consequences would be dire. Fuji was after all a sadist.

The ride home had been completely quiet. Ryoma had taken the backseat with Sakuno's head resting on his lap. Fuji couldn't help but stare at them through the rearview mirror. Of course, Fuji had been discreet about it and it was worth it. His usually cocky and stoic junior wasn't the most charming and open person on the planet, but Ryoma had shown signs of genuine concern towards the young girl. Ryoma's gaze was unbelievably soft as he brushed some stray strands from her face. Fuji had also caught Ryoma tracing the outline of her face with his finger. There was admiration and a sense of protectiveness. Fuji had to admit he was kind of jealous.

Upon their arrival at the Ryuuzaki Residence, Ryoma got out of the car first and carried Sakuno bridal style. It was a good thing she was so light.

"Echizen, we've done our part," Fuji said, leaning his back against the car, as he crossed his arms. "We're expecting you to do yours."

Ryoma cast his senior a glance. "You don't have to remind me," he said.

Fuji pushed himself from the car and made his approach. "Echizen, you're really lucky, you know…" He caressed Sakuno's cheek as his blue gaze softened. "You just have no idea…"

Ryoma raised a brow in question. "What are you talking about now, senpai?"

"I'm sure you'll figure it out." Fuji leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on the girl's temple. "Take good care of Sakuno-chan, Echizen," he said, and then he walked back to the car.

Ryoma refused to recognize the pang in his heart as envy. Whenever Sakuno would mention Fuji in her mails, he had felt somewhat bitter. Fuji had been her personal trainer in tennis. She had improved a lot with his help. Fuji had also tutored her in difficult subjects in school and had been to her house a couple of times. Their familiarity with one another was as clear as daylight. It was difficult to dismiss this pang. He didn't like it at all.

Reaching her bedroom upstairs, he gently laid her down on the bed. Her light weight wasn't a strain on his arms. Besides, all that racket swinging had built up his muscles. He stood there quietly, peering down on Sakuno's sleeping figure. He almost sighed aloud. No one should look this cute in sleep.

Sakuno's face was soft in slumber. He had positioned her on her back, one hand on her flat tummy, the other lying out to her side. One of her legs was lying straight and other was half-bent at the knee. The skirt of her dress was dangerously hiked up, leaving a generous span of creamy thighs on display. He was naïve about the opposite sex, but for some reason he found himself wondering what it would be like to run a hand up those thighs. Then his eyes found their way to her supple pink lips. He was fascinated by the sight that he had the sudden urge to kiss and caress her.

When Sakuno let out a soft moan, Ryoma blinked his fantasies away in surprise and took a step back. What the hell was he thinking on doing to her? He couldn't believe he just let his thoughts run wild like that. He even wanted to push her skirt over her hips! Damn, since when did he become a pervert? Was his father's perverted character finally rubbing off on him? He ran a hand through his face. His imagination had gone wild, that much he could tell, and he felt his body having a weird reaction.

Bewildered by all this, Ryoma slipped from the room and headed to the bathroom. He needed a shower, he decided, and a really cold one.

* * *

As expected, Ryoma had trouble getting to sleep the night before. His mind had been going over every bit of things he had imagined since he'd left her bedroom. He couldn't seem to think of anything else besides the girl and how cute she was. He couldn't even think of tennis, much to his utter amazement. In the end, Ryoma had only managed a brief three hours of sleep and he felt like a zombie when he'd walked into the bathroom to shower himself awake in the morning.

When he had finally made his way downstairs, he found Sakuno in the kitchen, wide awake and cheerful as she'd had set breakfast on the table. Another round of traditional Japanese breakfast much to Ryoma's liking, but he wasn't so sure if he had the appetite to eat. The imagination last night was pretty much hot on his mind as of the moment. In addition to that, he was feeling slightly nauseous due to the lack of sleep. He tried not to show any signs of awkwardness as he ate breakfast.

Sakuno noticed the rings under his eyes and tried to think of a way to strike a conversation with him without annoying him. A person lacking in sleep was usually a cranky one, and Ryoma wasn't a morning person to begin with. She herself had woken up to the mother of all headaches earlier. Her grandmother had once told her about hangovers and alcohol, which was never a good experience in the morning. Sakuno had never drunk alcohol before, but whatever she drank yesterday had given off the same effect.

"Umm…Ryoma-kun…what happened yesterday? I remember eating that really spicy roll…" she asked timidly. "Then everything is a blur. H-How did I end up in my bed?"

"Kikumaru-senpai gave you Inui-senpai's drink by mistake," Ryoma grunted. He still wanted to pummel the redhead in tennis. "Fuji-senpai's sister took us home in her car and I carried you to your room."

Sakuno blushed in embarrassment. She had caused everyone trouble again.

"Just so you know, none of that was your fault," he said before she could say anything. "If you want to blame someone, blame Kikumaru-senpai."

"Well, I-I don't think I can get mad at Eiji-senpai for something like that," Sakuno stammered. She knew that her Eiji-senpai was only having fun. "He didn't mean any harm."

Ryoma let out a sigh of frustration. "You're too nice, Ryuuzaki."

She wasn't surprised at that. "Umm…" She smiled nervously. "Yeah…I guess so…" She knew what Ryoma meant. Tomoka had pointed it countless times as well. Being nice was good, but being too nice was sometimes bad.

The rest of the meal had been quiet. Ryoma had tried his very best not to recall his wild imaginations in his head, but having her presence right in front of him had made it all too difficult. He had wanted to kiss her last night, that much he couldn't deny, and her lips had been very distracting, enough to make his flesh tingle. He needed to flush this out of his system. He couldn't even look at her straight anymore.

He then figured that a nice game of tennis would do the trick. It always did for him.

* * *

Memories of an embarrassing display of Doubles flooded his system the moment he and Sakuno arrived at the Street Tennis Courts. He was naturally gifted in Singles. As for Doubles, well, it was a whole different story. Ryoma Echizen preferred to go on his own pace. It wasn't as if he hated Doubles. It was just more entertaining to watch Doubles than play in the category himself. He wasn't big on sharing in the first place, so having another person on the same side as him was basically a distraction. His teamwork with Takeshi Momoshiro wasn't at its finest when he first played with him in that court. However, the lost they had suffered only served to fuel their determination to beat the other party at their own game. They did get their much deserved win over them in the District Tournament, but Coach Ryuuzaki had punished them afterwards for making such complete fools of themselves with their squabble.

Coach Ryuuzaki was one of the few people who can scare the shit out of Ryoma. The lioness was fierce, and he could understand why his father had feared her as well. But Seigaku wouldn't have been successful without her guidance. She was a great coach; even his father had said so. It was a shame she was gone now. Seigaku wouldn't be the same without her.

There were quite a number of people in the tennis court. Sakuno wondered if it was all right for her to be there. She hasn't held a tennis racket since the funeral, but she was quite excited to play the sport she and her grandmother loved. She had played in that court several times, usually with her seniors. Doubles was the game, and she knew for a fact that Ryoma wasn't too keen with that. Sakuno could never really tell what goes on in his head. It came as a great surprise to her when he asked—more like demanded—her to go with him to play tennis. Did he want to play Doubles with her?

She was donned in a white shirt with pink sleeves and a white mini-skirt with pleats. She had also worn a white wristband on her right wrist and a pink sports headband. On the other hand, Ryoma was in a light blue shirt and black shorts with his signature Fila cap on his head. The two of them were more than ready to play.

"There it is! Momoshiro's DUNK SMASH!" someone in the crowd shouted out.

Apparently, one of the players in the court was none other than Takeshi Momoshiro in his yellow tee and blue jogging pants. He had just performed his famous Dunk Smash, which earned him and his partner the win.

"It's Momo-senpai and…" Sakuno perked up as she recognized the girl high-fiving Momoshiro. She was wearing a purple shirt and white shorts. "An-chan!"

The girl called An saw her and waved a hand. "Sakuno-chan!" She ran past Momoshiro and lunged toward the braided girl to give her a hug. She was careful enough not to hit Sakuno with her racket in hand. "I've missed you so much!"

An Tachibana was a talented tennis player and has proven to be very knowledgeable in the sport as well. She was captain of Fudoumine Women's Tennis Club until she graduated. With her leadership and strong personality, she had successfully led Fudoumine to the Nationals. She was admired by everyone in her team for her skills and beauty. She had always worn her honey brown hair short in a straight bob cut adorned with two clips.

Sakuno considered An as a good friend and a strong rival in tennis. They had faced off twice in the tournaments, the first one being the Prefectural Tournament, where the coach had placed her in Singles 1. It had been one difficult battle, and the match ended in An's favor with 7 games to 6. The second face off was at the Nationals. They had been pitted against each other in Singles 1 again. The fate of Seigaku was resting on Sakuno's shoulders at that time. An attacked aggressively back then, but Sakuno's resolve was stronger, earning Seigaku's victory and advancement to the next round.

"So, how are you?" An asked, pulling back to face her. "You're not feeling sick, are you? Momo-chan told me that you drank Inui-san's juice yesterday and collapsed. That must have been nasty."

"Um…well…I did… But I feel fine, An-chan, so don't worry."

"Are you sure?" An lifted a hand to Sakuno's forehead. "Well, you don't have a fever, which is good. Tomoka did say you've come down with a fever a few days ago." She briefly glanced at Ryoma before gracing Sakuno with a smile. "But I guess all that love and care really did the trick."

Sakuno blinked in confusion. "Love and care?"

An took hold of Sakuno's hand and bowed her head. "Sakuno-chan, I'm sorry if I wasn't able to visit you. I tried to call you, but you wouldn't pick up." She deeply sighed. "But that doesn't excuse me as a friend."

"There's no need for you to apologize, An-chan," Sakuno said kindly as she squeezed her hands gently. "An-chan was there for me when I was falling apart in the hospital. You were also there to comfort me at the funeral."

An looked up at her and saw the beautiful and gentle smile on her face. "Sakuno-chan…"

"Tomo-chan told me that you've been busy with the team and with school. The captain has to tie loose ends before she leaves for high school, right? And despite your busy schedule, you still took time to call me."

An was almost brought to tears, but she held it in. "Sakuno-chan, you're really something else," she said. "Hey, why don't we play a friendly match just for old times' sake? Me and Momo-chan against you and Echizen-kun." She winked a playful eye.

Momoshiro chuckled. "Echizen playing doubles with Sakuno-chan? This I gotta see."

Ryoma responded with a cocky smirk. "You might regret it, Momo-senpai."

"Sakuno-chan, I feel sorry that you have to team up with the worst Doubles player here," Momoshiro said, earning a glare from the younger lad.

Sakuno was having doubts. She was fully aware that Doubles wasn't a Ryoma thing. She had the experience thanks to Eiji-senpai's training, but pairing up with Ryoma might be difficult.

"Come on, let's get ready!" An said, running back to her tennis bag to grab an extra racket. The strings on her current one was worn out from the last match.

Ryoma bit back his surprise when he saw Sakuno pulling out a familiar racket from her tennis tote bag. His lips then curved into a small smile. The racket was a gift from him before he left for America—the same racket he used to beat the former Rikkai Dai captain in the finals. He felt like she should have it, knowing that she'll put it to good use. And after seeing her improvements online, he knew he made the right choice.

"Ryoma-kun, umm… I'll try my best not to let you down," Sakuno said, hugging the racket tightly against her chest.

Ryoma lightly tapped her head with his own racket. "You'll do fine," he said, sounding confident as usual. If she was able to keep up with Eiji as a partner, then he was sure that she could keep up with him.

* * *

Current score was 4 games to 3 with Echizen-Ryuuzaki pair in the lead. An and Momoshiro had nothing but bitterness on their faces. No, they weren't angry because of the current score. It was something direr than that—something they had taken note during the game. They gave each other a knowing look, visible frowns greasing their lips. They thought they were just imagining it for the first two rounds, but it became more apparent afterwards. It was unacceptable, especially when Doubles was the game. They knew they had to draw the line there. Given their personalities, they were not afraid to speak out their mind, especially to cocky brats like Ryoma Echizen.

"Ryuuzaki, it's your serve," Ryoma told the braided girl, and she hesitantly nodded her head. She looked kind of down—emotionally tired—and Ryoma wondered if it had something to do with her grandmother again.

Clenching his teeth hard, Momoshiro jumped over the net and approached his junior. "Hey, ECHIZEN!" he called out, whacking him on the head. "You're really an idiot!"

Ryoma had crouched down due to the impact. His senior could really pack a wallop. As he rubbed the sore part of his head, he shot Momoshiro a glare. "What was that for, Momo-senpai?" he demanded.

An folded her arms in front of her chest. "What a disappointment…" she muttered, shaking her head in dismay. "You're the worst."

There were starting to get weird looks from the audience.

Ryoma didn't understand. What did he do wrong? Why were they mad at him? "Momo-senpai, Tachibana-san, just what are you guys—"

"I know you're the worst Doubles player around," Momoshiro cut off as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "But seriously? Don't you have any consideration for your partner?!" He mentally told himself not to explode.

"Umm…Momo-senpai, it's fine. I-I don't mind," Sakuno pleaded, but the spiky-haired senior was fuming at Ryoma. "Senpai…please…"

"No, Sakuno-chan!" An exclaimed in a controlled tone. "Echizen-kun has to know."

Ryoma was getting impatient. "What the hell are you all implying here?" And his questioning earned him another whack on the end. "That hurt, senpai."

"Get it through that thick skull of yours, Echizen!" Momoshiro told him off, shaking his fist in anger. "We're not playing Singles here! This is Doubles!"

"So your point is—" Ryoma stopped himself as realization struck; he hasn't been fair to Sakuno. He turned toward his partner and took note of her sad expression. Sakuno shifted in place as she hugged her racket. She didn't say anything, but Ryoma figured that she was too shy to speak up. Even if she did, he might just brush it off. He could easily lose track of reality whenever he plays tennis. The fact that he absentmindedly disregarded his Doubles partner was proof of that. Apart from serving and returning a few hits, he had hardly let her play.

Momoshiro and An were right. He was playing Singles in a Doubles match.

Doubles or not, it was unacceptable for a tennis player of his caliber to do such a thing. Sakuno didn't deserve that kind of treatment. Now the whole court was aware of his mistake. Normally, other people's opinion would not matter to him. They could think of him as a big jerk all they want. However, it was a whole different matter with Sakuno. Surprisingly, he found himself hoping she wouldn't think badly of him for this.

He started toward her, while she kept her head low and eyes glued to the ground. He removed his cap, his eyes betraying no emotion, and placed it over her head. "Sorry… my bad," he muttered under his breath, and she stared up at him in surprise. "I'd understand if you don't want to be partners anymore."

Sakuno was speechless for a brief moment. He was good at hiding emotions, but Sakuno somehow saw the regret in his eyes. "Ryoma-kun…" A smile tugged her lips. She knew how dense and tactless the lad can be, so it was rare to see him admit his mistake. Although a little upset from discounting her presence in the court earlier, Sakuno knew better than to hold him in contempt. His passion was bright, and she understood that. "Let's win this, okay?" she said, feeling confident all of a sudden.

His signature smirk came back. He thought she would shy away from him, but she spoke back with words of confidence, and he was glad that she wasn't mad at him. Turning back to the older pair, he raised his racket and pointed it at their direction. "You better be prepared," he said, "cause the real battle is about to begin."

Literally beating some sense into Ryoma surely did the trick. He was playing decently as a partner, providing Sakuno with ample support while returning shots aggressively. Sakuno was very pleased with the display of teamwork. Her experience with Eiji-senpai had definitely geared her to become a capable Doubles player. She had some doubts at first, thinking she might only be a burden to Ryoma, but she proved herself wrong. She would usually be at the baseline, patiently returning every shot thrown at her and waiting for the right moment to strike. On the other hand, Ryoma was in charge of taking difficult shots, especially hard-core ones from Momoshiro.

Sakuno had faced the Momo-An pair before with Eiji as her partner. An was versatile and supportive, making her a good Doubles partner. As for Momoshiro, Sakuno knew that he had evolved into a competent Doubles player during his days in middle school. He could even pair up with his eternal rival with no trouble at all.

"Game Momoshiro-Tachibana pair! 6 games all," the referee announced.

"Ryoma-kun…G-Gomen," Sakuno said between her pants. "I didn't reach it in time."

He reached out a hand and lifted the cap from her head. "Mada mada dane," he said with a cocky smirk. "But you've been doing well."

She was running low on energy, but that simple acknowledgement was enough to boost her spirits. "A-Arigatou…" she said with a blush. She felt so happy. Things were looking bright for her.

And the match went on. It was the final decisive battle and both pairs were ready to give it their all.

* * *

The rally had been going on for a while, either side showed no signs of giving up. It was a close game. The audience was practically anxious to see how it'll end. They haven't witness such an intense mixed Doubles match in a long while. The boys were clearly above average players, but the girls were no pushovers either. With everyone's focus on the game, no one expected that the rigorous flow would be interrupted by the reverberation of rhythm in the air.

"MOMOSHIRO, WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH AN-CHAN AGAIN?!"

Taken completely by surprise, Momoshiro had struck the ball sloppily yet still with the right amount of brute force for his infamous Super Special _Dunk Smash_. However, the last second hit had thrown the ball off its original trajectory and headed towards Sakuno's face. Ryoma, alert and quick as usual, had come to the rescue and lobbed the ball before it reached Sakuno.

"R-Ryoma-kun, I-I could have…"

Ryoma took her wrist and looked at her intensely. "You'll end up with a broken wrist if you tried," he told her, and Sakuno felt touched.

The young Tachibana stood there, baffled beyond words, as the ball slowly headed towards her. "Echizen-kun's really looking out for her…" she muttered, instinctively hitting the ball back, which ended up hitting Ryoma's head.

"Oops…" An squeaked.

He was caught off-guard. He didn't expect the Tachibana girl to return the ball again, not after saving Sakuno from harm, and the impact was strong and painful enough to send him lunging at Sakuno. Of course, Sakuno was too petite to handle his weight, so they ended up falling to the ground with him on top.

There was silence for a moment until the interrupter spoke up again.

"MOMOSHIRO!"

"K-Kamio?!" Momo uttered.

The red-haired Akira Kamio ran up to Momoshiro and grabbed his shirt. "You trickster! Who told you that you can play Doubles with An-chan?!" he demanded.

Momoshiro could only muster a chuckle. There was no need to explain everything to the guy. He was fully aware of Kamio's one-sided love for An Tachibana, much to his distaste. This wasn't the first time Kamio barged into them like that. Kamio was known to be a hotheaded guy.

"I don't see anything wrong with that, Kamio-kun," An said, tapping her foot impatiently, as her eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "And I can pair up with anyone I like, thank you very much!"

While the love triangle squabble went on, the unfortunate pair on the other side of the court was involved in a staring contest with their faces and lips dangerously close to one another. Ryoma, who had tried his best to forget his wild, naughty imaginations from last night, was getting these weird desires yet again. To touch her, to caress her, to kiss her senselessly—he thought of all that and his body was practically begging for it. He dreaded to think that he was becoming like his perverted father. He was screaming in his head, but his body was not listening.

"But, An-chan, I don't trust you with this guy!" Kamio retorted, pointing a finger at Momoshiro's face.

"What the hell are you trying to imply, Kamio?!" Momoshiro argued back.

"Will you two calm down? You're giving me a headache and…" An swiftly turned to the fallen couple as she placed her hands on her hips. "Echizen-kun! Would you kindly get off of her this instant?!" Her voice brought them back to reality, causing them to blush furiously, and she didn't fail to notice the spark. "Well, there goes our match…" she said with a sigh.

* * *

Under the pretense of a girl's hangout, An had more or less whisked Sakuno away to the shopping district, intentionally deserting the boys. She had enough of their stupid bickering, and Momo-chan even had the nerve to tease Sakuno because of what happened. Poor Sakuno was in a post-traumatic state after her close-encounter with Echizen's face, so An thought it would be best to have her far away from him for a while. She would have to deal with Kamio and Momoshiro some other time and she'll make sure to give them a piece of her mind.

Ryoma was still in a state of confusion himself, not understanding the full complexity of his own heart. He was pissed off at Momoshiro and Kamio for the big mishap, but he wasn't in the mood to tell them off. The girl had stirred emotions that he didn't know he had. It was amazing yet odd. He didn't know what to make out of it. Their relationship was not limited to friendship alone, but it wasn't close to being intimate either. They've been close, but not close enough. It has always been like that. However, it seemed like it was starting to change. No, maybe not change, but developing into something more.

He made his way back to the Ryuuzaki residence, bearing such thoughts in mind. The tennis match was supposed to relax his mind, but it ended up riling him up even more. As he stood in front of the door, he fished out the keys from his pocket. He unlocked the door before he noticed a presence behind him. Peering over his shoulder, his hazel eyes met two dark green ones. It was a guy, a year older than him. With his messy seaweed hair, he stood frozen, staring quite rudely at him. Ryoma shrugged and stared back at him.

"What the hell are you doing here, Echizen?" the seaweed guy questioned menacingly.

"It's none of your business, Kirihara-san," Ryoma replied.

Akaya Kirihara shrugged. "But this is Sakuno-chan's house."

Ryoma narrowed his gaze at the Ace of Rikkai Dai Tennis Club. The one called 'Devil Akaya' had just called Sakuno by her first name. What the hell? Since when was he on first name basis with her? "I'm Ryuuzaki's housemate," was his simple reply, which was the truth. He had made it his business to keep an eye on Sakuno while she recovered, and staying over at her house was an obligation.

"Housemate? The fuck?! Since when?!"

"Why do you wanna know?"

Ryoma was getting annoyed. He already had internal turmoil to deal with, so the mere presence of the devil was the least thing he needed at the moment. He had been informed about Sakuno's misadventures with the Rikkai Dai Regulars than he had cared to know. Apparently, her charms had managed to seep into their hearts and gained their friendship. Typical of Ryuuzaki to make friends even with the weirdest of the weirdoes, and she was particularly close to the devil and the sugar-loving, self-proclaimed redhead genius. Now this devil, who Ryoma supposed was enamored by the braided girl, glared at him as if he was a thief breaking into the house.

"You can't be possibly living here right now!" Kirihara sneered. "I know! You're just taking advantage of her depression. How dare you!"

"And what makes you sure that I am?" Ryoma asked, irritated. "It's not like I'm doing anything indecent to her while she sleeps." He blurted that one out without thinking. After realizing his mistake, he wanted to retract the words. Well, yes, he wasn't doing anything indecent to her, but his mind had wandered to a dangerous area that was horrifically intriguing and tempting. Of course, Kirihara didn't need to know such details. It was enough to sense the intent to kill from the devil.

"You want me to believe that your intentions are pure?" Kirihara snickered evilly. "Really now?"

Ryoma was beginning to feel the urge to grab the seaweed devil by the shirt and push him to the ground, but he refrained.

"Well, whatever… I don't wanna waste my time with you," Kirihara said with a shrug. "I'm here to see Sakuno-chan, so out of the way."

"Don't wanna."

Kirihara narrowed his eyes. "Move it, brat!"

"Yadda," Ryoma responded nonchalantly again. There was no way he would let anyone push him around.

"K-Kirihara-san?"

A familiar voice halted Kirihara's outburst and transformed him into a cheery lad. He'd recognize that voice anywhere. He turned on his heel, expecting to be graced by the girl's sunny smile. However, what he saw instead made him gasp. "Wha-Wha…What the hell?!" he exclaimed, pointing a finger at the girl's direction.

Ryoma twitched in annoyance at the sight. Apparently, a certain redhead had an arm draped casually over Sakuno's shoulders as if she was his girlfriend. Forget Kirihara! He wanted to murder the redhead instead.

"Konnichiwa, Kirihara-san," Sakuno greeted, meekly smiling and blushing. She felt a bit uncomfortable being so close with Bunta Marui.

"Sakuno-chan…" Kirihara's gaze on her was warm and soft, but it turned hostile as he looked up at his senior. "Marui-senpai, what do you think you're doing?"

"Just getting cozy with my Sakuno-chan. I found her shopping with Tachibana's little sister," Bunta Marui said, nudging the girl closer to him. "Why? You jealous, Akaya?" He stuck out his tongue playfully just to tease his junior.

Sakuno stared up at him with cheeks dyed in pink, and the redhead simply smiled at her warmly. He had a friendly face and kind eyes, and even if he was from a different school, she liked him. Marui, an incoming high school sophomore, was a Serve-and-Volley specialist and an excellent player in tennis. He was a lean, handsome young man of average height, with soft red hair and magenta eyes.

"You're free to push him away, Sakuno-chan," Kirihara said nicely to the girl.

Marui grinned and hugged her closely. "Sakuno-chan will never do that," he said smugly as he popped a gum.

Sakuno was simply too shy to speak out her mind here. The intimacy was rather uncomfortable, though it was nothing unusual since Marui had become well-acquainted with her.

Kirihara looked like he was about to pop a cap. "Senpai, let go of her. Can't you see she's getting uncomfortable?" He reached for Sakuno's wrist and attempted to pull her towards him, but Marui immediately grabbed her arm. "Senpai!"

Kirihara had grown attached to Sakuno very much just like Marui. He had first bonded with her when she stood up for him against a group of college guys and tended to his wounds unconditionally. She was very sweet and kind to him.

"You just want Sakuno-chan all to yourself, Akaya," Marui said jokingly, and Kirihara flushed red. "Aha! I knew it!"

"S-Shut up! And let her go already!" Kirihara demanded.

This was getting out of hand, Ryoma thought wryly, as he watched the two Rikkai Dai boys playing tug-of-war with Sakuno. The girl was obviously troubled by their actions. In addition to that, he was downright annoyed at the two for acting so intimate with Sakuno. "Would you two give it a rest?" he said in a cold tone. "You're both giving her trouble."

The Rikkai Dai players stopped tugging and looked down at Sakuno. Their hearts skipped a beat at the sight of her trembling form. They realized that they've overstepped their boundaries and released her.

"Sorry about that, Sakuno-chan," Marui said contritely, scratching the back of his head.

"Yeah…We got carried away," Kirihara added, bowing his head in shame.

Ryoma shook his head in dismay. Those two were supposed to be the older and wiser ones, yet they've acted like a bunch of elementary school kids fighting over their favorite toy.

Sakuno glanced at Kirihara and Marui, taking note of their repentant expressions, and let out a sigh. "It's all right…It was kind of amusing," she said with a smile, and the two instantly perked up. "How about let's go inside for tea and snacks? I'll also bake a cake if you want."

Marui's purple gems shone brightly. "How can I say no to that?!" he said excitedly.

Kirihara brought out his own brand of smile and nodded in agreement.

As for Ryoma, he could only sigh in frustration. He really didn't want to deal with those two at the moment. They were annoying and too familiar with Sakuno. His chest was burning, and he hated the feeling.

* * *

Marui was pretty handy in the kitchen himself, so Sakuno had no problems trusting him to prepare the ingredients for the cake while she went to change. She couldn't possibly bake in her tennis attire. A fresh set of clothes would be much better for the kitchen atmosphere. After she had changed into a pink long-sleeved mini dress, she paid her grandmother's room a visit and stared at the picture on the bedside table.

"Obaa-chan, Marui-san and Kirihara-san came to visit me today," she said softly.

They were such an interesting duo. She had always welcomed their company, and they had constantly been helpful and friendly to her. She appreciated their thoughtfulness—even during her time of sorrow. It was a surprise when she found them in front of her doorstep the day after her grandmother's funeral. They wanted to comfort her, but she pushed them away at that time. They tried calling her, but, like in An's case, she wouldn't pick up the phone.

"I haven't apologized yet for what I did…But I'll make sure I do."

"Sakuno-chan, everything's ready," a voice said happily just behind her, and she turned in surprise to look at the boy who had spoken to her. It was Marui. Then, just as quickly as she had looked up, she put her head down so he wouldn't see the tears forming in her eyes.

She felt guilty and ashamed.

"Akaya and that Echizen kid are busy playing a video game. It's getting intense down there," he said with a snicker. "Sakuno-chan, this is your obaa-chan's room, right? Pretty nice room if you ask me." He knew that her grandmother was her last living relative. He couldn't imagine what it must be like for Sakuno. But she seemed to be fairing well. "Sakuno-chan, I was really worried about you, you know."

She looked at him briefly. "Gomenasai…" She lowered her eyes again in embarrassment, and smiled hesitantly. "You were trying to help me, but I pushed you away…" She bowed to him.

"There's no need to apologize, Sakuno-chan. You were going through so much and—"

"Marui-san," she said softly, trying to look up at him, but unable to do it. She was simply too shy to look at him again, but he knew that. "I like you and Kirihara-san very much. I feel very lucky to have you two."

His heart skipped a beat and he felt his cheeks flaring up. She was so delicate, so withdrawn, and yet at the same time there was something strong about her. She was a bright girl with all the exquisite delicacy and kindness, and just by looking at her, Marui was captivated by her.

And all he could do now was stare at her, as she stood trembling before him.

Sakuno had been in her second year of middle school when Marui officially met her. She had accidentally knocked over his box of delicious banana creampuffs in front of a quaint little café in downtown Tokyo. He was about to throw a tantrum when he realized how pretty, fragile, and elegantly gentle she looked. And she was nervous when she spoke to him for the first time. At first, he thought she was some helpless girl, too afraid to speak out her mind. But he was definitely taken aback when she offered her homemade banana creampuffs as compensation. It was her act of saying sorry.

Marui had given her the ultimate stamp of approval after eating one and said that it tasted way better than the ones made by the café. He was so impressed by her talent in baking that he wanted to know her better. They've become good friends since then.

"Sakuno-chan, we'll always be here for you," he said gently as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "We're friends, right?"

She nodded, and glanced up at him through dark lashes. "Arigatou, Marui-san."

"Now let's get started on the cake," he said as they walked out of the room. "The ingredients are all set!"

A moment later Marui served juice and chocolate chip cookies to his fellow tennis players, which were prepared by Sakuno herself, and sat in between them on the couch. The two were playing _Need for Speed_. The scores were tight, and they refused to lose. Marui couldn't care less about the game, so he decided to munch on the cookies for the time being.

"Sakuno-chan…she must have felt so lost without her grandmother," Marui said sympathetically as he bit off a cookie. "She looked like she was about to cry a while ago… You know, there's something about her that makes you want to take her under your wing and protect her."

Kirihara and Ryoma stopped playing to toss him a glare.

"Good thing I was there to comfort her," Marui said with a grin.

"Senpai, you cheat!" Kirihara exclaimed.

Marui stuck out his tongue. "I just happened to be there for her."

"What the hell?!" Kirihara yelled back.

Ryoma frowned, and then he got up and walked to the hallway. They were being too presumptuous, especially that sweet-loving Bunta Marui, and he hated the fact that they could get away with it. Ryuuzaki was too nice for her own good. How could she just let them get so close to her like that? There was a thing called limit, but Ryoma figured that Ryuuzaki was too naïve to even realize it herself.

Running a hand down his face, he made his way to the kitchen where he found the girl mixing the ingredients in a large bowl. Ryoma thought she looked dignified and graceful. The kitchen was her territory, but she was pretty much accustomed in the courts as well. Playing Doubles with her was an enlightening experience. He wouldn't mind playing Doubles again just as long she was his partner.

She noticed his presence in the kitchen and bowed slightly before she continued. Her eyes were warm and she had a contented smile on her face. Marui mentioned that she was on the verge of crying a while ago, and Ryoma wondered if she had been in her grandmother's room again. He had told her not to go there if it'll only make her upset, but the girl liked being there. He found her crying once in that room and Marui must have experienced the same thing. It made his chest tighten just by thinking about it.

* * *

The two Rikkai Dai players had left with much hesitation. They had expressed their immense disapproval of leaving Sakuno alone with Ryoma, obviously not trusting the boy enough to take care of her. It was a relief when Sakuno had managed to convince them with her pleas. It was an amusing sight to see those hardcore athletes mellowing before the girl they've grown to care so much. But Ryoma felt more annoyed than amused when he saw those blushing expressions on their faces.

He felt like a migraine coming up as he settled down on the couch in the living room, and Sakuno, seeing his tired form, disappeared into the kitchen only to emerge a few minutes later with a cup of tea for him. She served him the drink as she shyly sat beside him. The tea was delicious and soothing, and he maintained silence as he drank it all.

Sakuno welcomed the silence, knowing how much he enjoyed it, and drew her attention to an anime on TV, which was apparently on mute.

Just then, Ryoma remembered the favor and brought his hand to the side of his pocket. He still hadn't given it to her and he had no idea how. Why did it have to be him? His Kikumaru-senpai would have done a much better job. Then again, he didn't like the idea of Kikumaru hugging the girl like a teddy bear. Letting out a sigh, he sat the teacup on the table and pulled out a small rectangular velvet box from his pocket. It was now or never.

"Ryuuzaki…"

She timidly looked at him. "W-What is it, Ryoma-kun?" She felt her face heat up when Ryoma suddenly took her hand. "R-Ryoma-kun?!"

"Here…" He pressed the velvet box in her palm and looked away in attempt to hide his blush. "Everyone wanted you to have this. We all chipped in to buy it."

The box seemed familiar to her. "F-For me…?" She opened the box and gasped at what she saw. It was a Sakura Flower clip in 18-Karat White Gold with Diamonds and Pink Tourmaline for petals. She had supposed the flower clip was a peace offering for Eiji's sister. "But I thought Eiji-senpai—"

"It was meant for you," he abruptly cut her off. "We wanted to give you something important, so there."

The visits, the flower viewing party, and now this…Everyone was so nice to her even when she felt like she didn't deserve it. She was overwhelmed with so much happiness that she couldn't stop the tears from coming. "This…I don't think I can—"

"It's a gift. Accept it or else everyone is gonna be disappointed," he said nonchalantly. She started to sob quietly, and he swore his chest felt a light stab. Now what was he supposed to do? Damn, he couldn't think of anything else as of that moment except for one thing "Ryuuzaki…" He pulled her close to him and embraced her.

He felt her muscles tensed but soon relaxed as he felt the softness of her body against his. It was strange really. He had been very intimate with her for the past days as if it was normal for him. He never realized how much his body ached for her warmth and how much it wanted to feel her next to him. He thought about how his chest would hurt and how his insides would burn every time she was close to another guy. Fuji-senpai, Eiji-senpai, Marui, Kirihara—every single one of them made his blood boil whenever they were with her. He wished they could just keep their hands off her. He wanted to be the only one who could touch her and hug her.

Yet these feelings were somehow confusing him. These were completely new.

He slowly pulled away to gaze down at her innocent eyes. He touched her face gently with his hands, and then her neck, and in the back of his mind he wanted to do something that he never dared to do before. But he stopped himself. He had to. His imagination was running wild again and it was about to drive him crazy. He wanted to make it all better for her, but not in a way that would scare her.

He carefully removed the clip from her hair and replaced it with the new clip. After that, he just sat there with her, and caressed her cheek, wiping away the tears with his thumb.

"It looks good on you," he said finally, feeling a part of him that he had never allowed himself to be aware of before, but the doe-like eyes that looked up at him were filled with so much affection. It wasn't like him, but he actually wanted her badly.

Rosy stains brought color to her pale cheeks. Her heart was pounding and she felt like it was going to burst any second. "Umm…I-I have to do the dishes!" she exclaimed nervously, standing up abruptly. "P-Please excuse me, Ryoma-kun!" She bowed and made her way to the kitchen.

Ryoma sighed as he leaned back into the couch. What was happening? He was acting so strange, and he wasn't so sure if he could control it around her.

* * *

Sakuno kept pacing back and forth in the room the next day.

Once in a while she would start rubbing her temple, attempting to soothe her troubled mind. It was the first day of school. She had woken up very early to dress up, work on her braids, and cook breakfast for her and her current housemate, Ryoma Echizen, who was apparently sleeping like a log. She had been to his room several times to wake him up but to no avail. Ryoma was pretty much a heavy sleeper, and her last attempt earned her a dive into his arms when he suddenly pulled her. Ryoma was mumbling something about his cat, and she knew how much he loved the little fur ball.

It was a struggle just to get out of his bed. Her heart couldn't stop racing. Of all the days to get into that kind of situation, it just had to be on the first day of school where she would have to walk with him. Of course, she had to wake him up first, but she has no intention of being his cat again. After giving herself a knock on the head, she approached the bed again and shook him.

"Please wake up, Ryoma-kun," she pleaded. "We're going to be late."

"Hmm…Sa…Sakuno…" he mumbled in his sleep, wrinkling his nose.

She paused. "R-Ryoma-kun?" Did he just call her by first name? And was he actually dreaming of her? "Umm...Ryoma-kun…"

"Mada mada dane, Sakuno…"

For a second, Sakuno wanted to laugh at his sleep talk. He sounded very much like the cocky tennis brat she had come to know.

When Ryoma gave her the flower clip yesterday, she felt so confused with his actions. He was so gentle. His eyes held a certain level of fire and affection. And he held her again! She wasn't sure if she could act normally with him today.

She then shook her head vigorously. "No, this won't do, Sakuno! Don't make such a big fuss about it!"

But the moment she remembered Ryoma's morning habits, she immediately fished out her cell phone from her pocket and called one particular senior.

"Moshi, moshi, senpai? It's Sakuno. I-I'm sorry for calling you so early," she said shyly as she looked down at the sleeping boy. "But c-can I ask for one favor?" She whispered the favor into the phone, and she smiled when her senior agreed. "O-Okay, here goes…"

She set the phone to loudspeaker and nervously placed the phone against Ryoma's ear, hoping it would work.

"O-CHIIIIBIIII! OOOOOHAAYOOOOUUUU!" a loud, energetic voice boomed through the phone.

Ryoma jarred his eyes open and sat up on the bed in surprise. "What the?!" He looked around for the source of the voice and found Sakuno holding her phone against her ear.

"He's awake now, senpai," she said with an awkward smile. "Um…T-Thank you so much. N-No, it's fine. I can handle it from here." And with that, the phone call ended.

Ryoma raised a brow at her. "Was that Kikumaru-senpai?" he questioned.

"Umm…Yes..."

To wake up to the annoying sound of Eiji Kikumaru's voice was not a good way to start a morning, and Ryoma hated being sleep deprived. "You know, a normal alarm clock would have been nicer," he muttered, running a hand across his sleepy, cranky face.

"Y-Your alarm clock went off an hour ago, Ryoma-kun," she replied, bowing her head to avoid his eyes. "But you didn't wake up."

Okay, Ryoma felt like an idiot there. Yes, alarm clocks were useless for him. He loved to sleep in and getting up in the morning was a hassle for him, so he couldn't really blame the girl for doing what she had to do. Plus, it was the first day of school.

* * *

Ryoma and Sakuno walked to Seishun Gakuen that morning with some awkwardness between them. Yesterday's experience was still very hot in their minds, but Ryoma played it cool while Sakuno tried her best not to bring it up.

She was in good spirits when she stepped into the school building and felt a little excited to see her old classmates again. She had promised Tomoka she would be strong no matter how much school reminded her of her grandmother. Several of her classmates came up to her to ask how she was. Teachers had expressed their condolences and sincerity, never failing to tell her what a great woman Sumire Ryuuzaki was. A few of her teammates from the tennis club had even paid her a visit during lunch to check on her, and she had assured them that she was fine and ready to play again.

Ryoma was assigned to another class, much to his dismay, but fortunately his classroom was just next to hers. Sakuno had brought him the packed lunch she prepared and ate with him during lunch period together with Tomoka and the former freshmen trio.

With the entrance ceremony done, Sakuno put on her Seigaku Regular jersey and went to the women's courts together with Tomoka. Collar was white with red trimmings trailing along the blue color of the shirt. The blue crush compression dash skirt they wore had blue undershorts underneath for modesty purposes, and the Seigaku name was printed on the left chest part of the shirt and on the bottom edge of the skirt. Their jersey was quite similar to the boys with visible differences.

The team welcomed her with open arms and smiles. They were such an active bunch, always helpful and hardworking. Even though she was related to the dragon lady of the boys' tennis team, Sakuno had never regarded herself highly and differently from them. She had been very respectable, very kind and sincere, and she had always enjoyed being with them. Despite the obvious shyness, she was talented and diligent, and everyone loved her for who she was.

The coach of the girl's team was very tall and cool. She had shoulder-length midnight blue hair, and emerald-green eyes, and she looked at Sakuno with a proud smile on her face. She had a surprise for Sakuno. Tomoka had mentioned something about a surprise before, and Sakuno had been wondering about it all afternoon. It seemed like she was finally going to get her answer.

In front of everyone in the team, the coach gave out an important announcement.

The coach gestured to the beautiful girl on her right. She had bright red hair tied stylishly in a side ponytail with long bangs framing her heart-shaped face. She had long, slim legs, and a pair of ice-blue eyes. "I'd like to introduce your new captain, Nanami Nadeshiko-san."

Sakuno was ecstatic at the news. She had always admired Nanami-san for her impeccable leadership skills and charisma. Not only was she beautiful, she was also the top of her class and part of the Student Council. She was an all-rounder in tennis known for her grace and speed. Everyone expected her to be the next captain, especially Sakuno.

"We're aiming for the Nationals again, everyone," Nanami said with a confident smile. "Don't expect me to go easy on you."

"Hai, Buchou!" everyone responded enthusiastically.

"Now it's time for me to announce your new vice-captain," the coach said, raising her pointer up in midair. Everyone, except for Tomoka and Nanami, looked very anxious, and when the coach finally pointed at the rightful person, they began cheering.

Sakuno blinked in confusion. The coach was pointing at her, and everyone was happy and cheering. "Huh? Wait…Does this mean that I'm…" She timidly pointed at herself and swallowed. "The new Fuku-buchou?"

The coach smiled. "That's right. I have high hopes for you, Ryuuzaki-san, so do your best."

"It'll be a pleasure working with you, Sakuno-san," Nanami said, walking up to her, as she put out her hand to shake.

Sakuno was so overwhelmed. This was such a surprise. She had never expected the coach to give her such an important responsibility. Vice-Captain was a tough job, and she had seen her Oishi-senpai struggle with the stress of handling a whole team before. But the coach seemed so confident. Nanami was even happy to have her as her vice-captain. She wasn't so sure if she could handle the job, but it would be shameful not to accept it. Her grandmother had told her to never be a quitter and she expected her to always do her best with her team.

"Nanami-san, let's work our way to the top," Sakuno said, shaking hands with the new captain.

"Sakuno!" Tomoka gave her best friend a hug. "You did it, Sakuno! You're vice-captain now!" She was really happy for her best friend. Sakuno deserved the position, and everyone was pleased with it. "We should celebrate later! Let's have a sushi buffet at Kawamura-senpai's restaurant. We can take Ryoma-sama with us."

Sakuno blushed when Ryoma's name was brought up and suddenly felt nervous. "Umm…D-Do we really need to celebrate…? I don't want to make such a big fuss and—"

"What are you saying, Sakuno? This is big, you know!" Tomoka said, patting her shoulder for assurance. "And I'm sure Ryoma-sama will be so proud of you!"

Sakuno sighed in defeat. There was no stopping Tomoka once she set her mind on something.

* * *

The sound of a tennis ball bouncing off the wall sang out in the silence, as gray clouds hung over the court where Kunimitsu Tezuka was playing. Faster, faster, he hit the ball with great precision. His form had such grace and finesse. His brown hair looked silky and smooth to touch despite the immense amount of sweat. He was a man clearly defined by handsome features—very appealing and worth more than a second glance. He had an angular face and dark, sharp eyes behind the spectacles, and his body was lean, long, and firm.

By the time he stopped his rally against the wall, silence finally kicked in. He had been training since the day started. He was always so disciplined and hard-working. And he was living the dream in Germany, playing at a professional level. He would never let his guard down, not even for a second.

He reached for his water bottle and took a sip. He then noticed another presence in the court. It could be his manager or his personal training coach, but he could somehow tell that this person was different. He turned on his heel and saw that he was right. What he found was an elderly man, probably in his sixties.

"Tezuka Kunimitsu, I presume?" the man stated, his voice radiating a sense of authority and decorum. He had sharp features for a man his age. He wore an expensive suit and tie.

Though he kept up the stoic façade, Tezuka was mildly surprise to hear him speak his native language. Looking closely, Tezuka could see some Japanese in the man, yet his western features stood out more. "Yes, I am," he replied.

The man approached him and held out his hand to shake. "I am Subaru Moonwalker, CEO of the Moonwalker Industries. It's a pleasure to meet you, Tezuka-kun."

Tezuka narrowed his eyes at the man. "So, you've finally came." Although Tezuka was brought up to be a respectable man, he refused to shake hands with him. "You could have saved me the trouble by coming here in the first place rather than sending your assistant."

"Hmm…Well, I was getting impatient," Subaru said, retracting his hand, as he grinned. "I didn't expect you to be so difficult."

"The answer is still no, Moonwalker-san," Tezuka told him, half-polite and half-stern. "You can never change my mind."

The man remained calm. "Don't you think you're being too conceited, Tezuka-kun? After all, I'm the one who—"

"The rights were given to me, Moonwalker-san. She is my responsibility and I plan to keep it that way," Tezuka explained, picking up his towel, as he walked off. "She will never step foot in that household ever again."

"Don't think that I'll give up easily, Tezuka-kun," Subaru said, clenching his hands hard.

_To be continued… _

* * *

**JC: **And I just had to end it with a scene with our favorite stoic captain, TEZUKA! I've introduced some OCs for the women's team. They won't play major roles. They're just there to fill out the team. Subaru Moonwalker is an OC as well. You must be wondering what his relationship with Tezuka is. Well, that's a secret for now. You'll find out more soon. Kirihara and Marui made their debut! Yay! I'm really fond of them, especially Marui-san.

**Next Chapter: **All is fair in love and war. Fuji makes a declaration. Would you like an orange? Well, Ryoma find himself skipping school and encounters a familiar face. And Tezuka just slams the door at his guest's face.


	5. A Prelude to War

**JC: **It took me forever to finish this! I'm so sorry for the very late update! I've been busy with conventions, photoshoots, and cosplays! And I didn't want to rush writing this or else it would have turned out so wrong. Now that Chapter 5 is here, expect another cocky guy who loves oranges! Fuji-senpai is going to make his declaration, which puts Ryoma in a pinch and whirlwind of emotions. There will be a scene with Tezuka as well.

**Note: **The story takes place during Sakuno and Ryoma's 3rd year of middle school.

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis. All rights belong to Takeshi Konomi.**  
**

* * *

**A Piece of Heaven**

Fifth Set: A Prelude to War

Their little celebration at Kawamura Sushi had been very lively and totally loud. Putting Horio and Tomoka together had never been a good thing and one would be wise to bring earplugs along.

Ryoma had to sit through all that noise, trying to keep himself sane, as he ate sushi. What he wouldn't give to glue Tomoka's and Horio's mouth tight. Well, the fact that his equally loud and flamboyant seniors did not help the situation either.

Momo-senpai would get into an argument with Kaidoh-senpai from time to time, and Kawamura-senpai would step in to break them up. At least, Fuji-senpai was civilized and mild-mannered during the whole meal, though he never failed to show his fondness for Sakuno. Eiji-senpai was even worse for acting like a cat and being so sociably intimate with the girl, and Inui-senpai would not stop taking notes of them.

The only 3 people Ryoma wasn't annoyed with were Sakuno, Kachirou, and Katsuo.

Tennis practice had been normal enough for him, except for this one incident when Horio suddenly knocked his head with a tennis ball. Horio swore that it was an accident, but Ryoma punished him by making him run 20 laps around the court. He was the new captain and his team was entitled to follow his orders. The temporary coach of the team had given him a proper orientation and had assigned Kachirou to be his vice-captain. Ryoma felt so relieved that the job wasn't given to Horio. Well, Horio was a fairly decent player with four years of experience under his belt, but his loud mouth was unbearable. Ryoma preferred Kachirou for so many reasons. First of all, Kachirou was responsible and reliable. Secondly, he was supportive to his team. Lastly, he wasn't loud and arrogant like Horio.

The whole team had no qualms about Kachirou being vice-captain. If anything, they were quite pleased. Kachirou felt honored about it, even with the apparent humility.

Tennis practice had ended a few minutes earlier for the girls, and Tomoka, his self-proclaimed fan club president, had the nerve to walk into his court to invite him to dine with her and Sakuno. He had wanted to reprimand Tomoka for being too presumptuous when the hyperactive girl suddenly told him about Sakuno's promotion to vice-captain.

And so there he was, in the middle of a noisy group, eating sushi while maintaining his cool.

"Sakuno-chan is amazing," Fuji said, staring at the braided girl in awe while keeping that contented smile plastered on his face. Sakuno was currently busy trying to stop her best friend from strangling Horio.

Ryoma looked instantly annoyed.

"She's a fantastic player, better than I expected," Fuji added as he popped his favorite wasabi roll into his mouth. "Videos and pictures aren't always enough, you know."

He raised a brow at the brunette genius.

"You have never seen her play in an official match up close. You've never experienced her excitement and resolve first hand. And you've never personally witnessed the smile she gives off whenever she hits a smash or win medals."

Ryoma had seen much of her progress and achievements via photos and videos. Nevertheless, Fuji's words were starting to get to him for some reason. "What are you trying to say, senpai?"

"I've gone to almost every game she had played last year," Fuji said amiably. He had witnessed her growth and had rooted passionately for her. "Even to the charity events…"

Ryoma was getting more annoyed. His Fuji-senpai constantly had ways to get under his skin whether it was intentional or not. He decided to stay silent, hoping Fuji wouldn't nudge him further, and continued to eat his platter of sushi in front of him.

"It looks good on her."

Ryoma sighed. It seemed like his Fuji-senpai wanted to be talkative today.

"So, how did you give it to her?"

The boy flinched, almost choking on his piece of sushi, as he felt rattled by yesterday's sweet experience.

"Echizen?"

He lightly flushed and turned his head away. "That's none of your business, senpai."

"Hmmm…Did something unusual happen between the two of you?" When he received no response from the younger boy, Fuji leaned his cheek on his hand and gave him a knowing smile. "Something did happen." There was still no response from Ryoma, but the apparent scowl and the blush on his face gave it away. Fuji knew he should be amused that his junior was finally showing such interesting emotions. However, he felt a little resentful, but his mask betrayed no emotions. "Must be nice, huh, Echizen?"

Ryoma shot the genius a glare and shrugged. "Stop saying unnecessary things," he mumbled as he popped a roll into his mouth.

Fuji's eyes opened. "Echizen, that's…" He wanted to tell him that he grabbed one of his very spicy wasabi rolls by mistake, but it was too late.

Ryoma's eyes suddenly widened as he felt his tongue burning. "W-WHAT THE HELL?!" he exclaimed, and everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at him. "W-WATER!" He scrambled through the table and reached for the glass across him.

Inui's glasses gleamed inexplicably. "Echizen, that's…" He wanted to tell him that he grabbed his Inui Juice by mistake. Unfortunately, it was all too late as the young lad gulped down the liquid in one go.

Five seconds later, Ryoma fell to the floor unconsciously.

* * *

"Echizen's on the bed now sleeping like a baby…Well, not really…"

Sakuno smiled up at Fuji as she served him a cup of jasmine tea in the living room. "Thank you for accompanying us home, senpai." Fuji had helped delivered a more or less unstable Ryoma to her home and into the confinements of his room. "I feel sorry for Ryoma-kun… Inui-senpai's drinks are really dangerous," she admitted, shivering slightly at the thought.

"You think so? I find them rather pleasant actually," said Fuji, taking a sip of his tea. "Sakuno-chan, you've grown accustomed having Echizen around the house, haven't you?"

Sakuno felt herself blush. How to answer that kind of question? Well, yes, she wasn't bothered having Ryoma around the house, and she was getting used to his presence. Shyness and awkwardness would still come up. Nevertheless, it was nice having him around.

"Saaa…" He frivolously swirled the liquid in the cup as he kept up his usual façade. "I'm a little jealous…" he muttered calmly and softly.

She blinked. "Senpai, did you say something?"

Fuji nodded pleasantly and lifted a hand to her new flower clip. "It looks good on you, Sakuno-chan," he said, and she blushed a deep shade. "But you're a treasure yourself."

She was taken aback by such a compliment and found herself, though not surprisingly, at loss with words.

He patted her head to relieve her from some of the tension. "I want you to know that I'm really proud of you, Sakuno-chan. To be vice-captain of your team is a great honor."

She smiled brightly. "I have you to thank, Syusuke-senpai."

"I can't take all the credit. All I did was to guide you."

"And you did a fine job, senpai." In all honesty, she would admit that she had her doubts and fears having Fuji as her personal coach at first. Fuji was a genius and a remarkable player in tennis, and she was afraid to be a disappointment to him. However, he was patient and kind, and taught her in ways she would understand quickly.

By the time it was ten in the evening, both of them were drowsy from the movies. Their third movie was nearing its end when Fuji felt Sakuno's head land heavily on his shoulder. Her eyes were closed and her face looked peaceful in her sleep. They had been watching action movies, praising and criticizing the stunts, actors, scenes, and special effects, and randomly sharing bits and pieces of their first day of school. Fuji realized that with Sakuno asleep, she wouldn't be able to make her way to bed, and he couldn't find it in his heart to wake her. It looked like it was up to him to bring her to bed.

It wasn't a rare occurrence for him. Sometimes, after helping her with her homework for school or after having a movie marathon, Coach Ryuuzaki would find Sakuno asleep in the living room and she would ask him to deliver her safely to her bedroom.

Fuji hauled her easily into his arms and carried her up to the second floor. He entered her bedroom and gently laid her down, making sure not to wake her up. He pulled off her slippers and tucked her in. As he pulled back to walk away, her hand suddenly reached for his shirt. He peered over his shoulder and gazed down only to find her still asleep.

"O-Obaa-chan…" she whispered softly.

Fuji smiled. It wasn't the first time he had heard her talk in her sleep.

"I…I'm fine now…Syusuke-senpai…is with me…Senpai's the best…"

Pristine blue eyes jarred wide open, completely stunned from what he just heard. His heart was definitely on a race. His whole body was getting warm. Despite the anxiety bubbling in his gut, he felt like grinning as he traced his junior's delicate features with his eyes. She was sleeping, yet she didn't fail in being so cute, innocent, and unexpectedly tempting.

He let out a heavy sigh and took hold of her hand. "Sakuno-chan...How could you torture me like this?" He sat on the bed and kissed her hand lightly. "You just have no idea…do you?" He stared at her peaceful face and wondered how he was truly going to survive the night. There was only so much a guy could take. He bit his lip—his mask completely broken—before leaning down and kissing her cheek gently.

She was simply a shrinking violet when they first met, as she was introduced as the granddaughter of his former coach. She was a cute girl, small, and gentle. Her face looked as though it were carved of the finest ivory; her doe-like eyes were deliciously brown. And she scarcely spoke to him before. But he knew that she wasn't just like the others. She was like a little chick that has yet to spread her wings.

He didn't expect her to catch his attention so much. At first she seemed so dubious and unreliable at glance. She was clumsy and timid, and she was no prodigy either. Nevertheless, he was able to see her latent skill. She was an unpolished gemstone with hidden potential.

And on her first ranking tournament, he knew his intuition was correct. He had seen it with his own two eyes; the perfect picture of her spreading her wings wide. It was amazing. He had been captivated ever since. Those feelings just kept growing and growing as they bonded.

"Sakuno-chan…" He brought his lips to her temple and sighed against her skin. "I…"

"Senpai," a cold voice brought his actions to a halt.

Fuji looked back at the door and put on his trademark smile when he saw the irritated look on Ryoma Echizen's face. The boy still looked pale—obviously still affected from Inui's juice—but Fuji could see the flames in his eyes. "Echizen, shouldn't you be resting right now?"

It wasn't the first time Ryoma had walked in and caught his Fuji-senpai acting so intimate with Sakuno. He specifically remembered the time he caught him kissing her hand when he first arrived. "Shouldn't you be on your way?" he said, feeling pain shooting through his chest. "Instead you're here doing inappropriate things with her."

Recognizing the younger lad's feeling as jealousy, Fuji rose from the bed, feeling rather sadistic. "Saaa… Why does it seem to bother you so much, Echizen?"

"You're just her senpai," Ryoma answered coldly.

"Yes, I am," Fuji said calmly as he started toward the lad. "And I have just about every right to be with her…"

"You don't have any right to kiss her." Ryoma narrowed his eyes and clenched his hands. His insides were burning.

"All is fair in love and war, Echizen," he said, smiling with satisfaction. "Besides…what are you going to do about it? It's not as if you're in love with her or anything."

Under normal circumstances, common people wouldn't be so foolish to provoke a jealous young lad. But Fuji wasn't your average type of guy.

An image of Sakuno's smiling angelic face flashed through his mind's eyes in an instant. Ryoma felt frozen on the spot as he stared at Fuji with wide eyes. What Fuji said was highly impossible. It couldn't be right. He was just concerned for the clumsy girl and he didn't want his senior taking advantage of her.

Fuji let out a low chuckle as he walked past the boy. "If you're going to be my rival, make an earnest effort at least," he said, stopping by the stairs, as he glanced back at Ryoma. As his pristine blue eyes made contact with his hazel orbs, he replaced his smile with a frown. "Realize it sooner, Echizen, or else it'll be too late."

If looks could kill, then Ryoma would be bathing in his own pool of blood about now. Fuji had never cast such a hostile look at him before. And his words were like a death threat to him. He couldn't quite comprehend it and his feelings were confusing him.

* * *

Ryoma stomped down the street with persistent strides. At this time of day, he should be in school. He wasn't some delinquent to skip school and morning practice. However, today he wanted to be alone. His thoughts were all over the place. He no longer had focus. It was affecting his game.

He had waked up early for once and he felt crankier than usual. The blasted image of Fuji kissing Sakuno was still hot in his mind. He clenched his fists as he took a deep breath to rein in his frustrations.

_"All is fair in love and war, Echizen."_

He had wanted to wipe that smile off Fuji's face. It was irritating to the core.

_"It's not as if you're in love with her or anything."_

Fuji was clearly provoking him, confusing his feelings with his words, and Ryoma wasn't going to let him get away with that.

_"If you're going to be my rival, make an earnest effort at least."_

And what did he mean by rival? Fuji didn't make any sense to him. He could never figure out what goes on in Fuji's head. Why did he have to be so darn complicated? DAMN! He wanted to strangle him or pummel him in tennis.

_"Realize it sooner, Echizen, or else it'll be too late." _

Realize what? That Fuji was such a big thorn on his side?! It was frustrating. This anger spiting from the bottom of his heart was stinging him so sharply. It hurt. It really hurt. Why was it hitting him so strongly as if it was controlling him?

"Damn it," he grumbled, kicking an empty soda can like a soccer ball. The can was sent flying towards a person's head, much to his dismay. Today was definitely not his day, and the victimized person was taller than him and obviously older.

The person who was now rubbing his poor sore head turned to face him, looking apparently pissed. "Who the hell threw that can at me?" His voice was deep yet somehow carried a hint of wittiness. Long and lean and dressed in a black hoodie jacket, casual silver shirt, and dark jeans, he grabbed the attention of a lot of female onlookers. It was a fact that this person was extremely handsome with his unruly dark green hair and cat-like blue eyes. "Was it you?"

As if the day couldn't get any worse, Ryoma felt like he was going to blow his top. Of all the people to meet, it just had to be that person. "No, it was someone else," he said tersely as he turned on his heel.

"Hey now… Don't walk away," the person said with a chuckle as he reached for Ryoma's shoulder. "I know it was you, CHIBISUKE."

Ryoma's eyebrow twitched. That nickname was so degrading.

"Is that any way to greet your beloved Aniki?"

"Che…" Ryoma shrugged his hand off his shoulder and glared up at his older brother, Ryoga Echizen. "Shouldn't you be out traveling somewhere?"

Ryoga sighed dejectedly as he looked away. "You're so cold, Chibisuke… And to answer your question…Well, I'm going to Tokyo University next semester, so I'm busy with the applications and all that."

"Is that so?"

The older brother then realized something as he looked back at Ryoma. "Neh, Chibisuke, shouldn't you be in school at this time?" he asked, a teasing smirk tugging his lips. "Don't tell me you're playing hookie?"

Ryoma deepened his scowl.

"Oh, so you are skipping class!" Ryoga chuckled and slapped Ryoma's back heartily. "I can't believe it! You of all people? Wait till Okaa-san hears about this. She's gonna flip!"

"Don't tell her!" Ryoma demanded impatiently, shoving Ryoga slightly. He wasn't in the mood for his brother's foolish antics.

"I know you're not that stupid. Since it's you, there must be a good reason for this, right?" Ryoga scoffed, ruffling his little brother's hair. "So, what's bothering you? Come on, you can tell your Aniki. Is it about school?"

The boy grumbled.

"Or maybe it's about your love life?" Ryoga joked, and the lad seemed to stiffen in an instant. That didn't escape his eyes and he resisted the urge to laugh out loud. "So it is! I can't believe this. My Chibisuke is growing up."

Ryoma placed a hand over his forehead and began to massage his temples with his fingers. "Just leave me alone."

Ryoga gave a light shrug. "Che…You're not cute at all." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Say, why don't we play a match?" His brother was practically a miniature version of himself, only quieter and socially challenged. Tennis was everything to Ryoma and it had always been that way. However, judging from his expressions, it sure seemed like he had problems in the love department. Ryoma wasn't going to talk about it for sure, so Ryoga figured that a game of tennis would shed some light on the situation.

"You're not going to send me to school like a normal, responsible brother should?" Ryoma questioned with his signature cocky smirk.

"Who said I was responsible?" Ryoga replied with a mischievous grin.

* * *

"Sakuno, didn't you walk with Ryoma-sama to school?" Tomoka asked, as Sakuno settled down in her seat. "I wanted to show him the new banner I made for him, but he's nowhere to be found. He didn't even come to morning practice today."

A look of confusion scraped the young Ryuuzaki's face. "He didn't come to practice?" Now she found it very odd. Ryoma was a passionate boy when it came to tennis. It wasn't like him to skip practice. "He seemed to be in a big hurry earlier, so he went ahead of me."

Tomoka tapped a finger on her cheek. "Where did Ryoma-sama go?"

Sakuno opened her mouth to say something when Horio suddenly appeared at Tomoka's side and barked out a short laugh. "Maybe he's skipping classes today."

"S-Skipping?!" Tomoka clenched her teeth and grabbed the guy's collar. "Ryoma-sama's not a slipshod like you, Horio! There's no way he'll play hooky."

Sakuno silently agreed with Tomoka.

"Oh, come on, he's not a model student to begin with," Horio said with an exasperated sigh. "The guy usually sleeps in class, you know, and we've got a test in Japanese Literature today. He's pretty weak in that subject, so that's probably the reason why he's not here right now."

Tomoka narrowed her gaze. "Or he could have just gone somewhere and come late to class." She released a sigh and shoved Horio away. "So don't presume much!"

"Geez, you're so pushy," Horio grumbled, scratching the back of his neck.

"What the hell are you doing in our class anyway?"

"Trying to find out where Echizen is," he answered nonchalantly. "Ryuuzaki, you sure you don't know where he is?"

Sakuno sadly shook her head. "I'm sure he has a good reason for not showing up to morning practice," she said, and she was sure of it. Ryoma wasn't an irresponsible player. If anything, she'd say that he was out playing tennis somewhere.

"Maybe the guy's in trouble," Horio blurted out.

Tomoka, flabbergasted at what he said, reached out for a random textbook on the table beside her and whacked his head. "Don't say such things, you jerk!"

"What the hell?!" Horio shot the pigtailed girl a glare. "You didn't have to hit me, Osakada!"

"But you were being a jerk!"

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

Sighing at their never-ending argument, Sakuno lowered her dark lashes to the gadget in her hand. She wanted to call Ryoma herself and asked him where he was. However, before she could even press the speed-dial, the school bell rang, signaling the start of their classes.

"You're insensitive, arrogant, and a fool!" Tomoka shouted, stomping her foot hard on the floor to stress her point.

Horio sneered at her. "Say that after you beat me in tennis."

"What's this got to do with tennis?"

"What? Scared that I'll beat you?"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

They were starting to get inevitable glances from the other students, and Sakuno knew they'd be in big trouble if the teacher catches them. Sighing for the umpteenth time, she rose from her seat and lifted a hand to Tomoka's shoulder. "Tomo-chan, the teacher will be here any minute," she told her, and then shot an apologetic look at Horio. "Horio-kun, you better head back to your classroom now or else you'll be scolded."

Both stared at Sakuno for a second before turning their gazes at each other, and almost instantly they looked away in frustration.

As soon as Horio was out of the room, Tomoka sank into her seat and crossed her arms. "That idiot…To accuse Ryoma-sama for playing hooky…What nerve!"

Sakuno decided not to say anything as she sat back down. The possibility of Ryoma playing hooky was slim, but the probability of him playing tennis against a very strong player as of that moment was quite high. She hoped the he wouldn't be too tired if he decides to come to class later or else he might end up napping for the whole day.

* * *

Ryoma had been wandering the streets aimless since he left his brother at the Street Tennis Courts.

Before he knew it, the day had turned into night. He still had no intention to go home to Sakuno. He simply didn't know what he should do. What his brother said had confused him to no end. He had failed to see what his brother meant throughout the game. However, much to his amazement, Ryoga knew exactly what he was going through.

How was that even possible when he barely talked about his feelings? Ryoma had never felt so open like a book before.

Ryoga Echizen was an international tennis player of great prowess, only a second to the Legendary Nanjiroh Echizen, and he had been one of the top tiers in the U-17 Camp. He was a laid-back kind of guy, completely different from his little brother Ryoma. His playing style, however, was similar to their father's. Bullying Ryoma was a clear sign of his fondness for him, and the kid always took him seriously.

When he was playing with Ryoga a while ago, he had attacked thoughtlessly with every intention of beating him. He was so frustrated, so annoyed and confused, and the image of Fuji kissing Sakuno kept boggling his mind. He couldn't really focus.

_"What's the matter, Chibisuke?" Ryoga asked, smiling confidently, as he returned the ball back to Ryoma's court. "Getting rusty, aren't we?" _

_Ryoma wasted no time and performed a Drive B. _

_"That's not gonna work on me!" Ryoga announced, hitting the ball back with full force and sending it speeding past Ryoma like a bullet. "Game won by Echizen Ryoga, 6 games to love. Mada Mada daze, Chibisuke." _

_Muttering a curse under his breath, Ryoma crumbled to his knees and punched the floor with his bare fist. _

_"Your heart wasn't in the game, you know." _

His heart was not in the game? Bullshit!

It had been a long while since he played his brother in a match, and he was so determined to beat him. Yet his brother wasn't even playing him seriously. With all the teasing and joking around, Ryoma found it ridiculous that Ryoga managed to score straight wins against him.

_"So, is my little brother finally in love?" Ryoga asked, and Ryoma almost dropped the tennis ball from his hand. "Oyaji told me that you've been writing letters to a girl almost every day while you were in America." _

_Ryoma clenched his teeth. Leave it to their stupid dad to give his brother new ideas to tease him. His brother and father were the father-son duo you'd feel embarrassed to be with. They had so much in common. "What about it?" he replied, maintaining some form of calmness, as he threw the ball in the air and performed his famous Twist Serve. _

_Ryoga returned it effortlessly. "Ryuuzaki Sakuno, was it?" _

_Hazel eyes shot wide for a second before he hit the ball. "What about her?" he replied nonchalantly. _

_"I remember seeing her picture once," Ryoga said, shooting the ball back to Ryoma. "Cute girl!" _

_His whole body instantly grew stiff, which made him miss the ball. "Stop saying unnecessary things and play seriously," he told his brother, tipping his cap down. _

_"Hmmm…Isn't she dating Fuji Syusuke?" _

Ryoma had wished his brother didn't say that. It had certainly thrown him off the game. Why the hell would his brother think that Sakuno Ryuuzaki was dating the prodigy of Seigaku? Who gave him the idea in the first place? Ryoga didn't even know them on a personal level. Okay, so his older brother was nosy and had picked up some valuable information from here and there. How he did it wasn't really a matter of concern for him at the moment. He was more irritated at the fact that his brother accused him of being jealous of Fuji.

_"Did I hit a landmine?" _

He recalled his brother telling him when his expression darkened at the mere mention of Fuji's name.

_"You are jealous! I can't believe it! Wait till Oyaji hears about this." _

He had very much wanted to murder his brother then for such an accusation.

_"You must be in love with this Sakuno girl, huh?" _

Being jealous was one thing, but telling him that he was in love with Sakuno seemed so weird. He felt conflicted by this, and this unbearable sense of resentment towards Fuji was eating him inside.

"Chibisuke!"

The boy froze at the sound of his brother's voice from behind.

Ryoga caught up to his brother, not looking the least bit happy. "Do you have any idea what time it is? Where the heck have you been?"

Ryoma looked up at Ryoga blankly. "Nowhere."

"Sakuno-chan just called our house," Ryoga said with an exasperated sigh. "She's worried sick that something might have happened to you." He had already been informed by his father about Sakuno's unfortunate circumstance and Ryoma's reason for staying with her. It was a nice setup, he thought, especially since his little bro obviously liked the girl.

"You think I'd get lost or something?" Ryoma answered half-heartedly. "And don't address her so casually."

"Idiot, you've been sulking the whole day," Ryoga said flatly, ignoring his remark. "And what kind of buchou would skip out on practice?"

Ryoma lowered his head. "It's none of your business."

Ryoga blinked, taking full note of the boy's strange mood and behavior. It seemed like his words from this afternoon's game still affected the lad. He wanted to tease him more, but that would be going overboard. After all, the boy has yet to realize his true feelings for the girl. "Chibisuke, you're one complicated kid."

"Shut up…" Ryoma grumbled under his breath.

"Sakuno-chan's waiting for you," Ryoga said, ruffling the boy's head. "It's rude to make a girl wait, you know." He then winked an eye.

"Fine…I'm going…and stop addressing her so casually." Ryoma slapped his brother's hand away and started walking. He felt really awkward and confused. He didn't know how to handle himself anymore.

Ryoga watched his little brother's retreating back as he got out his cell phone to call home. When his father picked up, he said, "I found him, Oyaji…" He then sighed and closed his eyes. "And he's still Mada Mada Daze…"

* * *

It was a bit of a problem trying to come up with an excuse for skipping school the whole day. He expected Sakuno to bombard him with questions regarding his absence. It was a bother, but he owed it to the girl for making her worried. Sighing for the umpteenth time, he paused outside the front door. After a moment's contemplation, he fished out the keys from his pocket and reached for the knob.

Surprisingly, the knob started to turn on its own. When the door opened, Ryoma found himself face to face with Sakuno.

"R-Ryoma-kun…" she muttered, stunned to see him right there.

He shifted his bag on his shoulder. "Tadaima…" he said, masking his emotions with indifference.

The girl lifted a hand to her chest as relief washed over her body. "Thank goodness," she said with a beautiful smile. "Thank goodness you're all right, Ryoma-kun…"

His heart skipped a beat. Even with the lack of light, he still could see the blush staining her soft cheeks. And her smile felt so warm. She was so worried for him that she was about to venture into the streets to look for him.

"Have you eaten yet? I saved you dinner."

As if on cue, his stomach started growling. How embarrassing! And it had to happen in front of her! He wanted to crawl into a hole at that moment, but he tried to act cool instead. "There's your answer," he said.

She giggled and gestured him to come in. "I'll warm it up for you, Ryoma-kun."

He raised a brow at her. "Aren't you going to ask where I've been?"

She blinked. "Should I?" she asked, tilting her head adorably to the side. "Well, since it's you…I'm sure you have your reasons." She bowed her head timidly. "I'm not going to ask…or meddle into your business…All I can say for now… is that you owe your team a proper explanation."

He could imagine Horio scolding him tomorrow in behalf of Kachirou for his unannounced absence. He had to prepare his eardrums for his annoying loud voice. "I guess so," he replied quietly. Just then his stomach voiced out a complaint again, much to his dismay.

She giggled. "Ryoma-kun is hungry."

There was a slight hue of pink on his cheeks as he turned his head away. "Whatever…" He may sound annoyed, but he was actually grateful for the girl's perceptive nature. She was very understanding and compassionate, and knew when to pry on things or not. It would be awkward to explain his conflicting feelings to her, especially his jealousy issues as stated by his older brother.

* * *

Kunimitsu Tezuka grunted and leaned back in the chair, running a free hand over his face. A ten page report on the _Tennis Elbow Lateral Epicondylitis_ would have been a breeze if it weren't for the recent problems boggling his mind. Even a calm and composed person like him would get rile up from time to time. After all, he was still human, not some freaking robot. School and Tennis had left him physically and mentally exhausted.

The ringing of the phone made his head throb. It was very late and he still wasn't done with his report. Whoever was calling him better not be a prank caller. He snatched the cordless phone and placed it against his ear.

_"Oh, you're still awake, Tezuka."_

His expression hardened. The air of authority and overflowing charisma—the voice on the other line belonged to someone he knew so well. "Yes, I'm very much awake, but I'm planning to retire for the night so make this quick." It was more of a command than a request.

_"Difference in timelines, figures… Well, I couldn't call any later than this. I have the information you require." _

Tezuka rose from his seat and started toward the window. "Is that so?"

_"I, myself, think that it would be injudicious to go against Moonwalker, Tezuka." _

"I've already explained the situation to you," Tezuka said in perfect monotone. "You know why I'm doing this." 

_"Hmph… And here I thought you were incapable of such sentiments. Funny thing really…" _the speaker let out a pompous laugh. _"I have underrated your character yet again, Tezuka." _

The cold expression still remained on Tezuka's face, yet if one would look closely they would see the hint of annoyance there. The caller had always been so arrogant. No, arrogant was an understatement, and Tezuka thought he'd be the last person he would ask for help. But the situation was in dire need of that person's aid and influence. When Tezuka told him about the problem, the person had been determined to extend his so-called charity and overwhelming generosity to him.

"This has to be settled as soon as possible. I'm already making preparations."

_"Are you sure about this, Tezuka?" _

"There are some things far more important—" Tezuka paused and glance toward the hallway as a knock sounded at his front door. Frowning, he stood and headed out of the room, taking the cordless phone with him. "Excuse me. I have to get the door."

_"Hmmm…Then would you like me to assist you in your preparations, Tezuka?" _

"There's no need for that," Tezuka replied dryly as he walked up the hall.

_"Dare you insult me while I, in all my greatness, offer you his benevolent aid?" _

Tezuka had the urge to roll his eyes at that moment, but he was more focused on answering the door and wondering who it could be at this time of night. "You've already done enough," he said curtly as he pulled the front door open.

_"Surely you jest! Ore-sama thinks it would be wise." _

Tezuka stifled a gasp, his cold gaze running over the duo on the step before him. He had never expected to see the pair right there, in the middle of the night, at his doorstep. One man was as tall as him and had dark mauve hair with a notable beauty mole below his right eye; the other was a great behemoth who stood well over six feet. The first one was dressed in a casual blue suit with a crisp white polo underneath, while the giant wore a sweater in grey shade.

The mauve-haired person flipped his cell phone closed and smirked. "That is why ore-sama personally came here to persuade you. Be honored, Tezuka!"

Tezuka stared at him, but—rather than greeting his guests properly like any respectable person would—he slammed the door closed and turned away. Just then his cordless phone rang again. His finely honed instincts prevented him from shouting at the caller as he answered.

_"Tezuka, did you just slam the door in ore-sama's face? God, how uncouth of you." _

He simply stared at his phone with some form of amazement and felt a migraine coming up. He was definitely tired and was not in the mood to deal with an extremely rich and arrogant boy, who clearly was bored out of his wits and had decided to pay him a visit just to flaunt his awe-inspiring generosity for the heck of it.

_"Should I let Kabaji open the door for you, Tezuka?" _

Tezuka stiffened, knowing that it was more of a threat than a question. The great behemoth of a companion had more than enough strength to knock the door down. Feeling more tired and defeated, he turned around and reached for the doorknob.

_To be continued… _

* * *

**JC: **Atobe-sama makes his appearance! I couldn't help myself lumping him with Tezuka. Of course, Kabaji is always there with Atobe. You'll learn more about Moonwalker in the later chapters, so be patient with that. FUJI is getting serious. What's Ryoma gonna do? I love writing about Ryoga. Big brother Ryoga is so fun and cool! I'll try to update as soon as possible. I'm already working on Chapter 6. Please do review this chapter. NO FLAMING!

**Next Chapter: **Big Brother Ryoga pays Seigaku a visit and befriends Sakuno. Ryoma finds himself getting annoyed by a certain number of things and reaches an understanding in the end.


	6. The Dangerous Green Monster

**JC: **Busy week again! And I have another scheduled cosplay convention to attend again. But I just had to finish this up before I get swept by the stress. Our dear Prince of Tennis is getting jealous and he doesn't even realize his own feelings yet. Fuji's not making it easier for him either! Tezuka, Atobe and Kabaji made their appearance in the last chapter! I really enjoyed writing about them, especially the part where Tezuka slammed the door at Atobe's face. Anyway, this chapter will be a long one. I hope I'm not gonna bore you with this. This chapter will focus on Ryoma and his emotions. Let's get started.

**Note: **The story takes place during Sakuno and Ryoma's 3rd year of middle school.

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis. All rights belong to Takeshi Konomi.

* * *

**A Piece of Heaven**

Sixth Set: The Dangerous Green Monster

His excuse for missing practice for a day was a simple stomachache and he had managed to reel in his older brother to back him up. Ryoma wasn't the type to receive undivided help from his brother, so he was sure Ryoga would ask him for something in return sooner or later. Surely enough, the excuse wasn't enough to keep Horio at bay, and he had received his well-deserved scolding from him and from the temporary coach. Vice-Captain Kachirou was a nice enough to spare him from the tongue lashing, although Ryoma doubted the kid had an inkling of meanness in him. The rest of the team had mixed opinions about his absence. While some had dismissed it without a care, some were rather suspicious of his actions. Well, Ryoma didn't really care about what others thought of him.

The next two weeks had went by relatively normal, though Ryoma had found himself getting annoyed by a certain number of things. They had made him uncomfortable on multiple levels—even to the point of crazy. Nevertheless, he made the effort to go through the days as normally as possible, keeping his emotions and temper in check. But a certain clumsy girl had made it almost impossible to control himself.

Problem Number One: Sakuno Ryuuzaki was too nice!

Okay, she was born nice and she was very selfless, as if her motto was to always help someone in need. He had spotted her countless times helping people when they least deserved it. A guy from the next class was obviously at fault for dropping the stacks of papers meant to be delivered to the faculty room. But Sakuno, even when she was already busy cleaning the classroom, felt sorry for the guy and helped him. Ryoma thought it wouldn't be a problem until the guy tried to peek under her skirt! That made Ryoma furious enough to throw the blackboard eraser at his head when Sakuno wasn't looking.

Problem Number Two: Sakuno Ryuuzaki was popular with the boys.

The stacks of love letters and flowers in her locker, the unwanted peanut gallery watching her in awe during tennis practice, and a few of her photos being secretly passed around from one guy to another were proof enough of her reputation. Ryoma had even caught a guy trying to confess his love to her at the back of the school. She had this look of innocence and curiosity at that time, with her head tilted at an angle that would imply cuteness, which didn't help the poor guy relax. But Ryoma doubted that she was aware of this. Sakuno had a tendency to make a guy tense without noticing.

In the end, the guy couldn't push the confession through, which was a big relief for Ryoma.

Problem Number Three: Sakuno Ryuuzaki was too friendly.

Being friendly with girls was all right in his book, but being too friendly with boys was a whole different story. The amount of hugs she had received from Eiji Kikumaru was unbelievable, and while she did seem shy about it, she didn't really mind the hugs at all. Sakuno had claimed that Eiji-senpai considered her as his little sister since he always wanted to be a big brother.

She had mentioned Bunta Marui's penchant for cakes and sweets a few times in her emails, but Ryoma really didn't think that he would be such a big fan of her culinary prowess that he would visit her every Sunday. The cake fanatic had even averred his rights to visit Sakuno to him, much to his chagrin. Sakuno didn't seem to mind baking him a cake every week because she simply loved to do it.

Marui wasn't the only Rikkai Dai crisis. Akaya Kirihara was also there to be an even bigger thorn on his side. Kirihara was extra nice and polite to Sakuno, though he'd sometimes tease her for fun. Ryoma had also learned from Kirihara that she had gone to the arcade and the mall numerous times with them. Ryoma thought Kirihara was a good for nothing troublemaker, but he seemed to genuinely care for Sakuno.

Then there was Syusuke Fuji. He was only in his second year of high school and he was already captain. Well, Fuji wasn't called a genius for nothing. Ryoma had always acknowledged his tactical prowess in the court, but never for his sadistic ways. He was annoyed at him for being too close to Sakuno.

Sakuno definitely had the right work ethic for tennis, but a part of her big progress in the sport was Fuji, who had been personally training her since her sophomore year. Their training eventually became a custom. They've been together most of the time. Nonetheless, Ryoma considered Fuji's intimate gestures towards the girl as a sign of overstepping boundaries.

Fuji had to come over every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday to tutor Sakuno in English. Ryoma was way more fluent and educated in English, having grown up in America and all, and he wanted to be the one to teach Sakuno in the subject instead. But Fuji had assured him that his English was efficient enough for Sakuno.

_"Besides, I'm way more familiar with Sakuno's education than you, Echizen." _

From what he had heard, Sakuno was the diligent type and had been consistent in the top ten since her freshman year. Math was not a problem with her because it was her grandmother's specialty. She was well-versed in Japanese and World History as well. English had been quite a struggle for her, so her grandmother had sought Fuji's help for that matter, and surely enough it had done her good.

Problem Number Four: Sakuno Ryuuzaki was also oblivious.

Ryoma hung his head low and gave out a frustrated sigh. It has been 3 weeks since school started. It was already lunch period, but he decided to spend it on the rooftop.

"Hey, Chibisuke!"

Those words shocked Ryoma so much that he literally bolted to his feet to spin around. He found his older brother leaning casually against the doorframe, watching him with crossed arms. Ryoma didn't even want to know how long he'd been standing there. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Ryoga snickered at his little bro's reaction. "I just thought of paying you a visit. I've never been to this school before. Oyaji was also a student here once upon a time ago, right?"

"Outsiders are not allowed here," Ryoma said indifferently.

"As if I'm the type to follow rules," Ryoga said with a light shrug as he unfolded his arms to reveal a can of Ponta in each hand. "Care for a drink?" He lobbed one to Ryoma and went to take a seat against the fence. "Seems like you've gotten so used to living with her."

Ryoma opened his can and took a sip. "What about it?"

"You haven't introduced me to her yet," Ryoga said, opening his own can. "I've only seen her in pictures."

Ryoma scowled. Introducing Sakuno to Ryoga was just as worse as letting his father get close to her. Ryoga was a shameless flirt who would go out of his way to impress a girl, and Ryoma, considering how naïve Sakuno was, would rather swallow a tennis ball than to let his brother have his way with her.

"Are just going to let Fuji steal your girl away?" Ryoga asked with a smirk. He had seen Fuji leaving and entering the Ryuuzaki residence a couple of times. It was no surprise for him since he was initially informed about Fuji's tutorial sessions with Sakuno. He didn't know Fuji on a personal level, but he had noticed the way Fuji would look at Sakuno. He knew exactly what that look meant.

Ryoma's frown was ferocious. "Why are you telling me this?"

"You really don't see it?"

"See what?"

Ryoga ran a hand through his hair. "Oyaji was right. You really are stupid."

Ryoma had resisted the urge to throw the Ponta can at him. "You're not making any sense as usual."

"There you are."

The frail voice almost gave him a heart attack, but he was quick to feign indifference as he turned to the newcomer. There she was, standing by the entrance, in all her cuteness, as she held onto the packed lunchbox.

"Y-You weren't in the classroom, s-so I thought that you'd be here…" she said, fidgeting with the ends of her skirt with her free hand. "Umm…I brought you your lunch."

"Who do we have here?"

Ryoma almost cursed at the sound of his brother's voice as he appeared at his side. This was just great, he thought bitterly. Ryoga would definitely take this opportunity to torment him more. He could feel it coming any second now.

"You must be Ryuuzaki Sakuno-chan," Ryoga said, flashing a very handsome smile. The girl looked up at him with excruciating shyness, and he thought her to be incredibly adorable. "A pleasure to meet you. I'm Ryoma's older brother, Echizen Ryoga."

Her eyes grew wide in surprise. "Ryoma-kun's onii-san?" she muttered, glancing at Ryoma for confirmation.

Ryoma let out a sigh. "Unfortunately…"

She looked at the older Echizen again. The resemblance was uncanny. Ryoga really looked like the adult version of Ryoma. "Onii-san…" She bowed low to him, as low as she possibly could, to show her respect for him. "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Onii-san…"

For an instant, Ryoga hesitated, and then he bowed briefly to her as a sign of courtesy. "I hope my Chibisuke isn't giving you too much trouble," he said, ruffling Ryoma's hair.

She shyly smiled and shook her head. "Ryoma-kun's been a great help to me," she said. "He's no trouble at all." And she found Ryoga's nickname for Ryoma quite endearing.

"Knowing Chibisuke, he's very difficult to live with," Ryoga said with a chuckle, as Ryoma grumbled in silence. "But I can see that you're getting along with him just fine."

She blushed and lowered her eyes. "Umm…Ryoma-kun is quite accommodating." She initially thought it would be uncomfortable living with him under the same roof, but it had been going smoothly for them.

Ryoga cupped his chin. "Chibisuke has never been 'accommodating' back home. He's always a brat, you know." He noticed the flare in Ryoma's eyes and felt more compelled to tease him. "I see…He's only nice to you, Sakuno-chan." He grinned at her, his eyes tinged with mischief. He loved teasing and embarrassing his brother to no end.

Sakuno blushed darker, and Ryoma's gaze narrowed dangerously.

"Umm…I-I…don't really think…" Sakuno stuttered badly, suddenly sensing the heated tension coming from Ryoma.

Ryoga chuckled as he pulled his wallet out of his back pocket. "Wanna see something funny, Sakuno-chan?" He flipped open his wallet and a series of photos came tumbling out like an accordion. "Tadda! Pictures of Chibisuke when he was still cute and cuddly!"

Ryoma paled as Sakuno gaped. "What the heck?!" he exclaimed, not able to maintain calm anymore.

Sakuno got a good look at the photos and smiled sweetly. "Ryoma-kun's so kawaii," she said. There were baby pictures of Ryoma, a picture of him on a merry-go-round at the age of 3, a picture of him in his mother's arms, and a picture of him holding a big racket at the wee age of 6. All of them were so lovable.

'Kawaii' didn't even begin to describe it. Those pictures were downright embarrassing. "Why are you carrying that around?" he asked.

"I'm your brother and I'm allowed to bring these with me wherever I go," Ryoga explained.

"That's just plain creepy."

Ryoga chuckled and gave him a good slap on the back. "Oyaji keeps an even bigger stash of your embarrassing baby pictures with him," he said.

"What is with you guys?! You make me sick!" Ryoma shouted, trying to snatch the photos from his brother.

Ryoga was quick enough to dodge his brother. "Nah-uh, Chibisuke! These are just a few of my prized collection," he said, winking an eye. "Plus, even if you destroy these, I still have copies."

When Sakuno giggled, Ryoma let out a grumble in frustration. "Oh…Um…I'm sorry for laughing," she said, lowering her head in shame. "I just thought that you two have a very nice relationship."

Ryoma gawked at her as Ryoga smiled.

"What makes you think I get along with him?" Ryoma questioned.

Sakuno turned her face away as she blushed. "I…I never had a brother or a sister…so I don't really know what it feels like to have a sibling. Eiji-senpai, Fuji-senpai, and Tomo-chan have siblings of their own. They don't always get along…but they feel very blessed to have siblings. Onii-san, you must be really fond of Ryoma-kun so much that you carry his pictures with you all the time."

"Of course, I am! He's my one and only Chibisuke," Ryoga said proudly with a mischievous grin.

"Ryoma-kun…" She tried to look up at him but quickly lowered her head again. "You may act coldly towards Onii-san, but deep down I'm sure you like him. You just have a different way of showing it."

It was Ryoma's turn to turn away. He knew he had just blushed. "Che…" He started gulping down his drink.

Ryoga was impressed with the way she handled her words. She was very sincere and kind. He liked those traits in a girl. "Seems like we got one more person who understands you, Chibisuke," he whispered softly to himself. He then skipped over to Sakuno and held her in his arms. "You say such adorable things, little missy. I wouldn't mind having you as my new sister, so please call me Ryoga-nii!"

Sakuno completely turned red. "Umm…Ano…"

A nerve popped.

"Chibisuke's rather rough around the edges, but he's—GAH!" Ryoga was rudely cut off as a can of Ponta hit his temple square on. "D-Damn you, Chibisuke…" he managed to mutter as he fell down to the floor.

"Ah! Ryoga-nii!" Sakuno gasped.

Ryoma shrugged as he towered over his brother. "Mada mada dane, baka Aniki," he said.

* * *

Tennis practice had been very rough, yet Ryoma felt more emotionally drained than physically. Apparently, Sakuno had grown very close to the Fuji family, and by the request of Fuji's older sister, Sakuno was more than happy to help cook dinner and spend time with them. Of course, Fuji had invited him as well, though Ryoma suspected that he didn't want him around. Well, Ryoma didn't feel like imposing either, so he refused the invitation. At least Fuji wouldn't be able to pull any moves on Sakuno while his sister was there.

_"Are just going to let Fuji steal your girl away?" _Ryoga's word echoed in his head.

His chest hurt. It was like a lethal stab. Fuji's affection for Sakuno was so clear.

He had bought himself some rice balls from the convenience store before heading home—Ryuuzaki's home to be exact. He would never attempt to cook dinner himself. The kitchen would end up like a warzone if he did.

Homework and dinner were done before the clock struck nine, so Ryoma decided to have a nice warm bath to soothe his tired muscles. He was about to climb up the stairs when the phone suddenly rang. He figured it was probably Sakuno calling, so he picked it up without any reserve only to be greeted by a very loud voice.

_"ONIGIRI-CHAN!" _

The voice had almost made his ears bleed. And who the hell was Onigiri-chan? Why did that voice seem familiar to him?

_"Onigiri-chan, I miss you so much. I want to see you again!" _

Kansai Accent? Oh, hell no! Ryoma felt a migraine coming up.

_"Neh, can I come visit you, Onigiri-chan? I've missed your cooking, especially those yummy Onigiri." _

There was no doubt about it. The voice belonged to none other than Kintarou Tooyama of Shitenhouji, also known as the Super Rookie of the West. He was an impressive tennis player, but he was wild and uncouth. Sakuno had mentioned Kintarou in her letters before, something about bumping into him during the National Tournament last year. Kintarou had remembered her again after getting a whiff and taste of the rice balls she had brought for the women's team and they've been friends ever since.

Kintarou and the former captain of Shitenhouji were also present during the funeral and had expressed their condolences to Sakuno.

Great! Just great! It seemed like Kintarou was another one of the poor souls who got lured in by Sakuno's charms and cooking.

_"Onigiri-chan, are you still there? Hello?" _

"_YOU HAVE THE WRONG NUMBER_," Ryoma said in perfect English before slamming the phone down. Kintarou's way of saying his name was annoying enough, but the way he called Sakuno 'Onigiri-chan' made his blood boil completely. Fuji, Kikumaru, Kawamura, Momo, Marui, Kirihara, his older brother…and now his tennis rival in the west—they were all calling her so casually. "Damn it…"

"R-Ryoma-kun?"

He stifled a gasp as he turned to her. She had just closed the door behind her.

She bowed her head to avoid his eyes. "Um…Good evening, Ryoma-kun. Fuji-senpai's Onee-san gave me some cupcakes. Would you like—"

"Ryuuzaki…" he cut her off, and she immediately froze. There was a brief awkward silence between them. "You're too friendly and your hair is still long," he said coolly as he started up the stairs.

Sakuno blinked in confusion. "Huh? Too friendly? What does my hair have to do with that?" It was at times like this that she found him so complicated.

* * *

"Echizen, what's with the eye bags?" Horio questioned with an amused look present in his eyes. "Didn't get enough sleep last night?"

Ryoma ran a hand across his face as he leaned back into his chair in the classroom. "You think?" he mumbled.

"Something bothering you?"

"Nothing really," lied Ryoma, hoping Horio wouldn't question him further. His head was throbbing and he wanted nothing more than to sleep. He was even tempted to skip morning classes. He couldn't sleep well last night because of the thoughts boggling his mind. From his sadistic senior to the wild jungle boy of Shitenhouji, Ryoma mulled over them infuriatingly, given the fact that they were close with Sakuno. He had certainly missed a lot of happenings during his stay in America, and he didn't need Fuji to constantly remind him of that.

"Ah! They're doing it again," Horio said, pointing at the last row beside the window.

Ryoma wasn't interested in the things that went on in the classroom, but when Horio mentioned 'photos' and 'Ryuuzaki' in the same sentence there was a need to be wary. Unflappably peering over his shoulder, he found a group of boys crowding around a table.

"The guy in the middle of all that is selling photos of the Most Beautiful Girls in school," Horio said, placing his hands behind his head, as he leaned his chair back. "Nanami-buchou of the girl's tennis team is number 1, followed by Nogizaka-san of the Art Club. And can you believe that Osakada is ranked 9th? I don't think she's all that." He lightly shrugged.

"And Ryuuzaki?" Ryoma suddenly blurted out, and when he realized this he knew it was too late to retract it.

Horio blinked in surprise. "Didn't you hear me the first time?"

Ryoma raised a brow.

"Ryuuzaki's in 5th place, but she deserves to be in 3rd. She's a lot cuter and nicer compared to Yumemiya and Akasaka." Horio sighed and looked over at the group of boys again. "Our classmate here is making a fortune selling photos of these girls…Ryuuzaki included…"

"Hmmm…You seem to have a good collection," Ryoma said, holding out a string of photos in front of Horio.

Horio gasped. "What the?!" He rummaged through his pockets and bag. "AH! Echizen, when did you take my wallet?!" he exclaimed, slightly blushing.

Ryoma recognized the girl's tennis team captain in one of the pictures. The one painting on the canvass was obviously 'Nogizaka-san' of the Art club. There was even a picture of Tomoka Osakada in her tennis attire. "Don't think she's all that, huh?" He flashed a cocky little smirk, which made Horio blush deeper. But his smirk was immediately replaced with a frown when he saw a picture of a certain girl with braids. "Ryuuzaki?"

Horio noticed the hint of hostility in his tone and snatched his wallet away from Ryoma. "Echizen, it's not what you think," he said, letting out a nervous laugh. "I just like looking at Ryuuzaki—I mean…at all of them...and I—"

Ryoma's expression darkened. "Horio, which do you prefer? Cool Drive or Twist Serve?"

"Oh, come on, Echizen, it's not like I have a crush on her or anything," Horio said, swallowing hard. "Besides, it's not as if you're her boy—"

"Cool Drive or Twist Serve?" Ryoma cut him off. "Take your pick."

Once again Horio swallowed hard. "Echizen, gimme a break here!" he exclaimed.

* * *

The laugh of Tomoka Osakada resonated in the air. Trying to get her to stop for the sake of Horio's pride was Sakuno, while Katsuo struggled to stop him from strangling the high-spirited girl. Horio was currently sporting a sore red cheek and a black eye on the left, which made his face look funny. One look at it was able to throw Tomoka into a laughing fit with matching insults to add salt to the injury. Tomoka blamed Horio's egotism and clumsiness for the damage he had received. Sakuno tried to tell her best friend that it wasn't nice to laugh at someone else's blunders, but Tomoka felt like she just had to seize the opportunity to torment Horio. They would always get on each other's nerves in more ways than one.

Katsuo, on the other hand, knew the real reason for Horio's misfortune and it went by the name of Ryoma Echizen. As much as he admired his current captain's prowess in tennis, Katsuo couldn't bring himself to acknowledge the punishment toward Horio. Jealousy was the cause. Ryoma, being the cocky egocentric brat that he was, took it out on Horio just because the poor guy had a picture of Sakuno in his wallet. Ryoma can be so immature, Katsuo thought wryly.

"Ryoma-kun, that wasn't very nice, you know," Katsuo told his captain as he entered the locker room. They were the only ones there. Their other teammates, including Horio, had already packed up and went home. Vice-Captain Kachirou, on the other hand, had gone back to the classroom to get a notebook he left under his desk. "Horio-kun just admires Ryuuzaki-san."

Ryoma tipped his cap down and took a seat on the bench. "What are you talking about?" he asked in a bored tone.

Katsuo sighed. "Don't play dumb, Ryoma-kun." He removed his Seigaku regular shirt. "You hit Horio-kun on purpose."

"He wasn't fast enough to return my shots," Ryoma reasoned, feeling a bit annoyed to be lectured.

"Ryoma-kun…" Katsuo buttoned up his uniform as he looked over his shoulder. "Don't think we didn't notice." He picked up his tennis bag and walked to the door. "After all, you've been very protective of Ryuuzaki-san for the past weeks."

Ryoma's eyes widened slightly. It was a good thing he had his cap on to hide his expression from Katsuo.

"I'll be going now. See you tomorrow, Ryoma-kun, and remember what I said," Katsuo said with a curt bow before he made his exit.

Ryoma shrugged and removed his cap. "What do they know?" he muttered. Okay, he admitted that he went overboard with Horio, but he just felt bothered and creep out to learn about Sakuno's picture in his wallet. Sakuno was a good friend of his, and to have guys ogling her didn't sit well with him. Wasn't this supposed to be normal?

Pushing those thoughts aside, he got up and changed into his school uniform. He was certain that Sakuno was already waiting for him at the gates. They had always gone home together ever since he started living with her.

After packing up his stuff, he went outside and locked up the room, not expecting to be greeted by the beautiful captain of the girl's tennis team.

"Echizen Ryoma…"

Ryoma felt his eyebrow twitch at the sight of Captain Nanami's smile. Her pleasant smile reminded him so much of the sadistic Fuji. Ryoma wondered if she was the same type as Fuji who liked to keep a mask on at all times. Aside from the mask, she wore her jacket in a very familiar way—draping it on her shoulders like a cape, which reminded him of the captain of Rikkai Dai.

"Son of Samurai Nanjiroh, a Junior American Champion and a Grand Slam Player," Nanami said, crossing her arms in front of her chest, as she stared at him as if he was an interesting specimen. "You defeated Yukimura Seiichi, who is also known as the Child of God, in the Nationals, and participated in the U-17 Camp along with your teammates. Play Style: All Rounder and you're also ambidextrous."

"Is there something you need?" Ryoma asked. He did not need to be impolite to the girl even if she reminded him of Fuji. Still it felt weird to have her lay out his data like that.

"Well, my lovable Fuku-buchou left her wallet in the locker room," Nanami said, holding up a pink wallet. "She can be so absentminded sometimes and a little clumsy, but she's so cute that way." She giggled.

Ryoma stopped himself from making a face. Was his intuition about her correct? For some reason he didn't want to know anymore.

"I was on my way to give it to her, but since you're still here I hope you don't mind."

"Not a problem," Ryoma replied, taking the wallet from her hands.

"_Thank you," _Nanami said in fluent English and continued. _"I'm surprised that the Genius Fuji doesn't mind you walking his love interest home every day." _

Ryoma felt a vein pop. _"She's not his girlfriend," _he replied in English, maintaining indifference.

Nanami giggled. "Ara…Ara… I didn't say girlfriend."

Ryoma felt his heart skipping a beat. The girl caught him red-handed there. Love interest was way different than girlfriend.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get going," Nanami said, politely bowing, before turning on her heel to leave. "Oh, by the way…" She paused and looked back at him with that ever pleasant smile on her face. "As buchou, please keep in mind that tennis is not a sport of violence." She let out a giggle once again and walked off.

Ryoma felt chills running down his spine. Did she eavesdrop on their conversation a while ago? One thing was for certain; never ever make an enemy out of Nanami-buchou. She was like the female version of Fuji and Yukimura or even worse, he thought, accidentally dropping Sakuno's wallet while trying to get it in his pocket.

"Che…" He leaned down to get it but paused when he saw something disturbing. "What the…hell?" It felt like he just received a lethal stab to the heart.

* * *

Sakuno had just waved goodbye to her best friend at the school gate when he arrived, clenching the pink wallet in his hand. His heart was stinging in pain from what he saw. In her wallet was a picture of her and Fuji together.

"Ryoma-kun…" she called out his name as he approached her. "Umm…What would you like to have for dinner?"

"I'm having dinner at my house," he said, avoiding her eyes.

Sakuno frowned. "I see…" So she was going to dine alone tonight.

"Your buchou asked me to hand this to you. Careless as usual," he said, showing her the wallet.

"My wallet!" she gasped, then blushed in embarrassment. "Umm…Thank you for returning it to me. I didn't even realize that I lost it." She can be such a scatterbrain, she thought sadly as she took the wallet.

"Mada mada dane," he muttered. "You go on ahead. I still have someplace to go." This was a lie. He just wanted to be somewhere alone to settle his raging emotions.

Sakuno felt like there was something bothering Ryoma, but she knew he wasn't the type to talk about it. And it wasn't her place to pry either. "All right then… I-I'll see you later, Ryoma-kun."

"Yeah, later…" he dismissed, walking off without sparing her a glance.

The picture of them—they looked like a very happy couple.

Sakuno looked absolutely stunning in her white blouse underneath an open pink cotton jacket and striped pleated mini-skirt that exposed much of her creamy thighs. She wore a pink heart-shaped pendant and silver chain for accessories, and her hair wasn't in her usual braids. It was free and flowing. On the other hand, Fuji was looking ravishing and preppy in his white shirt underneath a black jacket with golden trimmings and denim jeans. The outfits were definitely fashionable, but their white shirts had the same tribal prints on them.

Fuji must have taken her out on a date. This one was the only thing Ryoma could think off after taking a good look at the picture. Plus, Fuji had an arm on Sakuno's shoulder while she was slightly pressed against him. Ryoma felt like his heart was going to explode any moment. It really hurt.

Sakuno had never mentioned about going on a date with Fuji in her mails. There were the usual outings and training sessions with the seniors, but never any info about a date. Ryoma felt somewhat betrayed and more conflicted.

Lost in thought, he didn't notice that he had been walking around town for more than two hours and ended up in a small alley. He had also failed to notice two nasty neighborhood thugs until they stepped out in front of him, blocking his way.

"Look at what we have here," one of them sneered. Tall and lanky, he had a nose piercing and a blue bandanna on his head. "Are you lost, shorty?"

Okay, he wasn't gifted with the height he wanted. But did everyone have to rub it in his face? He was so not in the mood for troublemakers like them. "What do you want?"

The one who had spoken before gave an ugly, evil laugh. "Depends…Got money, shorty?" he said, flashing a knife in his hand.

Ryoma stared at the knife, knowing this was not good. After the emotional turmoil all day, this one was the crème of the top. This could end very badly. He had to be calm and calculative about this. He could run. But the other thug could easily apprehend him. One wrong move and he could end up seriously wounded.

"How about if you dump all your stuff here and be on your merry way?" the one with the knife said, snickering.

Dump his stuff? His whole tennis gear? No way in hell he would ever throw away his gear for some ugly thugs. "How about a game instead?" he said, flashing a cocky grin. "If you guys win, then I'll give you all my stuff, even my clothes."

"Don't screw with me, shorty!" the thug exclaimed, lifting the knife to his neck. "Now give us the goods."

Just then, a tennis ball flew toward the thug's hand like a speeding bullet and knocked the knife away.

"What the fuck?!" The thug turned to the direction where the ball came from.

Ryoma whipped his head to same direction and felt his heart making a big leap. Two braids, a Seigaku middle school uniform, and a red racket in hand—there was no mistake. The one who disarmed the thug with a tennis ball was none other than Sakuno Ryuuzaki.

"This is your chance, Ryoma-kun," Sakuno yelled out. "Please run—"

"Gotcha!" It was a thug with messy bleached hair. He was only a bit taller than Sakuno. "Pretty brave of you to do that, missy." He grabbed Sakuno's chin and forced her to look up at him. "Hey, you're cute!"

Ryoma was about to take out his racket to help the girl when all of a sudden…

"L-Let me go!" she screamed, whacking the thug's knee hard with her racket. An ear-splitting scream came next as the thug released her from his grip. "I'm sorry but I have to do this!" She swung the racket around, twisting her body to gain additional momentum, and slapped the thug's face with the tip of her racket.

"How dare you!" the bandanna thug yelled out.

Ryoma quickly kicked his manhood, took out his racket and whacked the guy's head viciously.

"R-Ryoma-kun," Sakuno said, her knees trembling in fear. "I-I…"

Not giving her the chance to talk, he marched up to her, grabbed her hand, and ran away from the alley as fast as they could. He was frustrated about everything, and the girl's presence just made it worse. He was trying to avoid her ever since he saw the picture. He had even planned on sleeping over at his own house tonight. But she went out of her way to help him from those two thugs. Knowing her, she must have been really terrified.

He brought her to the park and pinned her against a tree. He dared not to meet her eyes as he stood there catching his own breath.

"R-Ryoma-kun…um…are you all right?" she asked in concern. "Did…Did they hurt you?"

"You're supposed to be at home," he said in a low voice.

She lowered her head. "I was…I was worried…about you…so I followed you…" She gripped the handle of the racket tightly, mentally telling her heart to calm down. "I-It's a good thing I did…Those guys…t-they could have—"

"You shouldn't have done that!" Ryoma yelled out, his temper flaring. Dropping his racket, he gripped the girl's shoulders. "You could have gotten hurt!

Her eyes grew wide at his sudden outburst. He seemed very angry. "I-I'm… I'm sorry!" she replied, bowing her head. "But I-I had to do something to help you! I didn't want you to get hurt! When that man pointed a knife at you, all I could think of was your safety!"

Ryoma stood very still, letting the adrenaline slow down, getting his breathing back to normal. "Ryuuzaki…" He bit his lower lip, feeling like an idiot for exploding at her like a volcano. Being almost mugged by thugs was bad enough for both of them, but watching him blow up like that must have been more shocking for Sakuno. "We're lucky they were a bunch of morons…"

She nodded, still too shaken to say anything.

"Don't do it ever again." He let out a long breath. Truth be known, he was really scared for her. When that other thug caught her in his arms, Ryoma felt like his heart got caught in his throat. "I don't know what I'll do if something happened to you."

She blushed. "I-I'm sorry…"

A smirk for a smile, he leaned his temple against the girl's shoulder and breathed in her wonderful scent of strawberries. "Thanks for the help," he muttered as he felt her whole body stiffen. "I didn't know you had it in you, Ryuuzaki."

"R-Ryoma-kun…" She was blushing in a deeper shade of red and her heart was racing fast. But she was happy to hear his words of gratitude and acknowledgement. It was more than she could ever hope for.

His knees finally buckled and down he went to sit on the patch of grass. "Damn…I'm pooped," he muttered, fishing out his Fila cap from his bag.

"I'll go buy us some drinks," she said.

Ryoma grabbed her wrist before she could run off and said, "Stay…"

"Huh? But…"

"I don't need a drink. I need you."

_"Realize it sooner, Echizen, or else it'll be too late." _The voice of his Fuji-senpai echoed in his head.

She stared at him, startled, and the next thing she knew, he'd pulled her down to sit. She squeaked in protest, but he ignored her as he laid his head on her lap. "R-Ryoma-kun?"

_ "I don't hear you complaining." _Ryoma remembered his father saying._ "If I didn't know you better, I'd say you're enjoying it." _

"I'm so tired…Be my pillow for a while," he told her, covering his face with his cap, hiding his pleasant smirk at the same time.

She blushed again.

_"You must be in love with this Sakuno girl, huh?" _It was his brother's voice this time.

Who cared about some stupid picture? Sure, Fuji and Sakuno had spent so much time together, but it doesn't mean that they were officially an item. Plus, having Sakuno by his side right now was enough to soothe his troubled thoughts.

Ryoma Echizen, senior middle school student and captain of Seigaku Tennis Team, had finally reached an understanding.

_To be continued… _

* * *

**JC: **Ryoma realizes! Isn't that great news? I can't have Sakuno-chan play damsel all the time. I wanted to write about a girl doing the saving this time. Sakuno may be a klutz, but she's a pretty strong girl. Of course, I always love writing about Ryoga-nii! He's so awesome as a tennis player and as a big brother. He sure loves to torment his Chibisuke. Poor Ryoma had to get embarrassed by his baby pictures. That's all for Chapter 6. I'll be looking forward to the reviews and comments. NO FLAMING!

**Next Chapter: **Fuji receives a call from his former teammate, Ryoma starts to make his move, and Tomoka fangirls over the boys! And what's up with Eiji-senpai?


	7. Affections Defined

**JC: **I've been so stressed over the preparations. I was so knocked out at the end of Cosmania. And finally I have time to update this. I totally apologize for the delay. Now let's get this started! Well, this features cute little romantic moments here. I hope I did them well. Sakuno's in for a ride. Read and Enjoy!

**Note: **The story takes place during Sakuno and Ryoma's 3rd year of middle school.

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis. All rights belong to Takeshi Konomi.

* * *

**A Piece of Heaven **

Seventh Set: Affections Defined

The young tennis prince had thought that his day turned out for the better. Yes, he was indeed distracted and frustrated for the whole day at school, and he had to face those ugly thugs in the alley because of his mindless wandering. It was a great shock for him to have Sakuno save him from them. He was amazed and proud of her though, and the events led him to spend some quality time with her under a tree. Now he was walking home with her, inwardly pleased and contented, and was looking forward to dinner.

However, he didn't expect another great shock awaiting him from the moment they arrived at the residence.

The mask had lost its essence. There was a genuine look of concern in his pristine blue eyes. "Sakuno-chan…" His voice was calm yet it carried a twinge of anxiety.

"Syusuke-senpai, what brings you here?" she said, smiling kindly at the older lad.

"Thank goodness you're all right," he said, wrapping his arms around her petite body, as he pulled her against his chest.

Ryoma felt a pang in his heart. What was his senior doing? What was he doing here in the first place? There was no tutorial session for today.

"S-Syusuke-senpai? Um…W-What's the matter?" she asked, cheeks reddening. But Fuji held her tighter. He was slightly shaking. "Syusuke-senpai…?"

Fuji shook his head, and then looked at her with a sad smile. "I was so worried." He gently caressed her cheek. "I've been searching all over for you when I found that you were getting mugged."

Her eyes grew wide. "That's…"

"She wasn't the one getting mugged, senpai," Ryoma butted in, resisting the urge to tear them apart. "I was. Ryuuzaki came in the nick of time to help me."

Fuji looked at him in surprise before turning back to the girl. "What a bold thing to do, Sakuno-chan…" He brushed away a strand of hair from her face and graced her with a gentle smile. "But that was very brave of you."

Sakuno timidly smiled. "Thank you...To be honest…I was really scared for Ryoma-kun back there. I didn't know what to do. And the next thing I knew, I'd already knocked the knife away with a serve. I guess it was the adrenaline." She giggled.

She was such an amazing girl, Fuji thought as he patted her head. She was fourteen years old, and there were times when she looked like a little girl, and other times when she seemed totally woman. He was two years older than she was, and much of the time, he felt protective of her.

Ryoma wasn't sure if he could handle more of his senior's apparent affection toward Sakuno. His insides were practically boiling. But there were more important matters to consider at the moment. "Fuji-senpai, how did you know about this?"

"Eiji and I were buying crepes at a food stall when two middle school kids asked for our help," Fuji replied, his mask half-restored on his face. "They recognized our school uniforms and their descriptions about you were pretty accurate. It gave us quite a scare, but you guys were gone the moment we got there."

She captured his hand in hers and reassured him with a smile. "Everything worked out in the end. Ryoma-kun and I are safe and sound."

Fuji returned the smile. "Yes, that's the important thing here. I better call Eiji and tell him that you two are okay."

"I'm sorry for causing unnecessary trouble, senpai."

"Sakuno-chan, it's a senpai's job to worry about their little kouhai," he said, gently poking her cheek, as he pulled out his phone. He then turned his attention to Ryoma. "Echizen, it's also a prince's job to protect the princess, not the other way around."

Ryoma felt chills down his spine, though he was discreet enough to not show it. "I let my guard down," he said haughtily with a smirk. "It won't happen again."

"Saaa…please make sure of it," Fuji replied pleasantly.

* * *

Fuji was almost at his own residence when his cell phone rang. Pulling his phone out, he grinned at the sight of a familiar international number. "It's been a while since you called, Tezuka," he said into the phone.

_"I just had a bad feeling. Did something happen?"_

"Huh?" After years of knowing and observing his stoned-faced friend, Fuji was sharp enough to note the slightest change in his expression and tone of voice. As of that moment, Tezuka sounded alarmed and concerned. "Everything's fine, but that would be lying. Did you know that she actually saved Echizen from getting mugged today?"

There was a pregnant pause.

_"Are they both all right?" _

"No worries. Not a single hair was harmed on their heads."

_"For a second, I thought Subaru Moonwalker had started his pursuit. He paid me a visit the other day." _

Fuji's blue eyes popped open. "Is that so? What do you plan to do, Tezuka?"

_ "I can't delay this any longer." _The slight bravado in Tezuka's voice was enough to convince Fuji that he was worried sick for Sakuno.

Fuji opened his mouth to speak, then paused as he heard a familiar voice in the background. He began to grin. "Saaa…Why didn't you tell me the KING is there?"

There was a slight pause. _"Yes, unfortunately. He's been…" _There was another pause as the sound of laughter resonated through the phone. A sigh then escaped Tezuka's lips. _"Helping me…" _he finally continued.

Fuji stifled a laugh. "Seems like you've got your hands full over there."

_"In any case, continue to watch over her, Fuji. Don't let your guard down." _

"That goes without saying," Fuji replied, gazing up at the dark sky, "because Sakuno-chan is worth it."

_"Yes, she is." _Fuji didn't miss the tenderness beneath his monotonous voice. The normally stoic guy actually had a soft spot for Sakuno. Fuji was a little surprise when he first learned of this.

Fuji heard the voice of the King again, announcing something grand to Tezuka. Even though Tezuka has tremendous amount of self-control, Fuji could just imagine his frustration having to listen to the King's endless rumblings about himself.

* * *

Ryoma rolled over, opened his eyes and peered at the bedside clock, a frown drawing his eyebrows together as he saw the time. 05:45 AM. Damn, for some reason his body clock had gotten him up before his alarm clock, which was highly unlikely of him. Growling, he forced his eyes close again, to get a few more minutes of much deserved sleep. Unfortunately, the sound of Sakuno's voice coming from outside was rather distracting. He turned to peer toward the door. The girl's voice was drawing nearer and nearer.

Was she on the phone? Of course, she wasn't crazy to talk to herself.

He tensed as she reached his door. The moment the knob was turned he closed his eyes and pretended to sleep. He heard the door open followed by a set of light footsteps approaching his bed.

"All right, Tomo-chan, I'll let you copy my homework," Sakuno said on the phone. "Please don't forget to do it next time, okay?"

Ryoma frowned. So, it was her loud-mouth best friend on the phone asking her for her homework. How irresponsible of Osakada, he mulled.

"And I wish you a happy birthday. I made something special for you."

So it was the loud-mouth's birthday.

"You're welcome, Tomo-chan. I'll see you at school… Bye…" There was a click then silence. Ryoma could sense her eyes on him. She was probably thinking of a way to wake him up. "05:47 AM… Hmm… Kachirou-kun asked me to wake him up before 6, but I don't know how… I don't want to bother Eiji-senpai again."

He stiffened. The girl actually considered calling their hyper senpai again. He had almost gone deaf when she did that. And Kachirou had asked her to be his personal alarm clock? What the hell? It seemed like his vice-captain didn't trust him enough to be on time for morning practice. He couldn't blame him though.

"Um…R-Ryoma-kun…" She hesitated and swallowed hard. "Please wake up, Ryoma-kun… Y-You still have morning practice…and Kachirou-kun doesn't want you to be late." She gently shook him. "Ryoma-kun…"

Inwardly smirking, Ryoma pulled her into the bed with him, earning a squeak from her, and held her against his chest. He inhaled her sweet scent and sighed quietly. God, she smelled so good. It was not fair that Fuji got to hold her yesterday, so this was his way to balance things out between them. Ryoma didn't care if it may seem childish. It was worth the trouble.

Sakuno found herself holding her breath. Her cheeks were completely red. "R-Ryoma-kun…" This was the second time she got dragged into bed with him. "Mou…You're probably dreaming of Karupin again…"

Karupin was his beloved cat, and it would make a good excuse for his actions, though Ryoma had no intention of waking up any time soon. He was enjoying her warmth and softness way too much. It was no wonder Eiji liked to hug her, but it did not mean that he approved of Eiji's hug attacks.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. After a few minutes of solitude, the alarm clock released a loud ringing tone, giving Sakuno quite the scare.

"Oh, no, it's already 6," she said in a panicked tone. "R-Ryoma-kun, please wake up."

As much as he wanted to smash the alarm clock to pieces, Ryoma stayed totally still while keeping a firm lock around her body. She moved, she squirmed, and she struggled, but his strength was far greater than hers. A small sigh acknowledged defeat as she pressed her temple against his chest.

"Ryoma-kun…" she muttered softly, clutching onto his shirt. "You're so warm…"

Not making unnecessary movements to alert her, he jarred his eyes open and felt himself flush. What she said made his heart race. _Ryuuzaki… _

And for the next couple of minutes, they stayed there and enjoyed each other in silence.

* * *

"You're the captain of our team now for goodness sake and you're certainly setting a good example to our underclassman by coming to practice late. This isn't first year anymore, Ryoma-kun, and it's not my job to remind you over and over again about the things you need to do. As your vice-captain, I'm not going to tolerate this kind of behavior." Vice-Captain Kachirou Katou was apparently giving Captain Ryoma Echizen the lecture of a lifetime, while the others expressed mix feelings about this.

Horio took great satisfaction in the expression on Ryoma's face. He looked staggered. It served him right. Ryoma may be the captain, but he has no right to be tardy. Ryoma was used to having everything his way and he thought he could deal with everything with that cocky mouth of his. Horio would be damned if anyone would let him slide easily, so he was definitely proud of Kachirou at the moment. Kachirou was usually sweet-tempered but not to be underestimated.

"You leave me no choice, Ryoma-kun," Kachirou said firmly as he crossed his arms over his chest. "50 Laps around the court now."

"A captain getting reprimanded by the vice-captain…" Katsuo said with a sigh. "That's something you don't see every day."

"Echizen deserves it," Horio scoffed, juggling a tennis ball with his racket. "Let's just ignore him and get on with practice."

Katsuo got into position. "Ready when you are, Horio-kun."

"Che…" Ryoma shrugged as he tipped his cap down. There was no way around it. He was late and he had to pay the price. Kachirou was really living up to his position as vice-captain, and Ryoma wouldn't want it any other way.

50 laps around the court was cake walk compared to the harsh training he had experienced back at the U-17 camp. As he started running, he wondered if the captain of the girl's team also made Sakuno ran laps. He felt a little guilty for making her late. It was his mistake, a form of extreme self-indulgence, but he didn't regret what he did. He wouldn't mind doing it again too. She had sweetness about her he liked, a kindness, and an appeal. He had met some girls back in America, all pretty and trendy, but none of them had caught his eye. Sakuno was different, and they have a unique connection.

His hazel eyes spotted a familiar figure at a distance. Her braids were a dead giveaway as they swayed back and forth behind her. A smirk tugged his lips. Maybe this punishment wasn't going to be bad after all. He caught up with her easily and gave one of her braid a playful yank.

She gasped and turned her head to see him running by her side. "R-Ryoma-kun?"

"Punishment?"

She made a pouty face. "It's your fault, you know…" Her captain was usually very tolerant, but tardiness was unacceptable. Of course, she apologized for coming late, but she never bothered telling her captain the reason for it because it was too embarrassing.

He decided to tease her further. "You didn't wake me up."

She averted her eyes away from his. "I tried…but you suddenly pulled me and..." She blushed hard.

The two of them made a sharp turn at the corner and continued their run.

"Hmm…You got all comfy and decided to sleep as well," he said, watching her blush deeper, much to his amusement. "You're free to sleep with me anytime, Ryuuzaki."

She flinched and almost tripped on her own feet. Was she imagining it? It sounded like Ryoma was flirting with her. "Don't say such things, Ryoma-kun."

"I won't mind," Ryoma added, taking his cap off, as they approached the next corner. "Since it you…" She almost tripped again in surprise, and Ryoma couldn't help but chuckle. Before she could say a word, he placed his cap on her head. "Mada mada dane, Ryuuzaki."

She stared at him, wondering what was up with him all of a sudden. It seemed like she wasn't imagining it. Ryoma was actually flirting with her.

* * *

Both tennis teams were practicing hard as usual that afternoon. The Seigaku Regulars were doing their routine exercises as provided to them by Sadaharu Inui. Vice-captain Kachirou and Captain Nanami had also presented their regulars a very effective motivation to help them with their training, which was apparently one of Inui's dreaded juices.

Vice-captain Sakuno had found her best friend puking by the water fountain and felt sorry for her. Tomoka had made an error during her practice match with a fellow senior and drank the Inui Juice as punishment. The juice made Tomoka green in no less than a second and she had bolted out of the courts right away.

And it had to happen on her birthday.

Tomoka had already been graced with smiles and greetings from her classmates, friends, and fellow teammates. Sakuno gave her a little plushie toy. She even got a simple birthday greeting from her Ryoma-sama as well, and got a special packed lunch filled with her favorite food from Sakuno. Tomoka's family was going to celebrate her birthday in a fancy restaurant later and had invited Sakuno to come.

"Tomo-chan, are you all right?" she asked, handing her a water bottle.

"Inui-senpai's drinks are the worst!" Tomoka shrieked, and then she felt a little sick again. "Geh…I don't want to drink that ever again…How did senpai-tachi manage to survive?" She covered her mouth, feeling the wave of nausea hit her. "Especially Fuji-senpai! He actually likes Inui-senpai's vile concoctions."

Sakuno gently rubbed Tomoka's back for comfort. "Syusuke-senpai has a unique palette," she hesitated, "I think…"

Tomoka gulped down a generous amount of water and exhaled. "Weird, if you ask me…" She perked up as she turned the faucet. "Fuji-senpai is still cool though!" She leaned down and started washing her face.

" Syusuke-senpai…" she muttered in a very soft voice. "He's so unique…"

"Did you say something, Sakuno?" Tomoka said, closing the faucet.

Sakuno blushed and shook her head.

"Hmmm…" Tomoka grabbed her towel and wiped her face dry. "So…How are things going with Ryoma-sama?"

"Eh? Ryoma-kun?" Sakuno blushed deeper and turned her head away. "N-Nothing really…"

Tomoka's lips curved into a mischievous grin. "Living with Ryoma-sama under one roof! Kyaaah!" She squealed like the deranged fan girl she was and hugged Sakuno with all her might. "Sakuno, you lucky girl!"

"Tomo-chan, I-I can't breathe," Sakuno managed to say despite having her neck in tight grip. "T-Tomo-chan…"

"I'm a little jealous," Tomoka said, pulling herself away from Sakuno, as she leaned against the fountain. "And you also have Fuji-senpai."

Sakuno's heart skipped a beat. "T-Tomo-chan, what are you saying?"

Tomoka snickered and patted her shoulder. "Let's not forget Marui-san and Kirihara-san of Rikkai Dai," she said, winking an eye.

"M-Marui-san and Kirihara-san too?" Sakuno was blushing like a bright Christmas bulb. "Mou…Tomo-chan, they're just my friends. It's not what you think."

"Yah, yah…Whatever you say," Tomoka said, waving her hand unflappably. "But if it were up to me…" She folded her arms in front of her chest. "I'd narrow it down to just two. Fuji-senpai or Ryoma-sama, take your pick."

Sakuno hunched her shoulders as she sighed. "Tomo-chan…they're not—"

"Fuji-senpai is like a dashing white knight and has the smile of an angel. He's quite artistic, a genius, and a perfect gentleman," Tomoka said in awe, her eyes sparkling, as she lifted a hand to her cheek. "Ryoma-sama is a little rough around the edges, but he's sharp and cool. And his charisma…Oh, he's just too amazing." She clasped Sakuno's hands between hers. "So, who's it gonna be, Sakuno?"

"T-Tomo-chan, that's…" Sakuno turned her head away, blushing madly, as she pictured the two boys in her head. "Eto…Syusuke-senpai is—"

Tomoka squealed in delight and shook her hands up and down. "So it's Fuji-senpai!"

Sakuno stared at her friend, surprised. "W-Wait a minute, it's not like that, Tomo-chan! I was just going to say that I—"

"What about Ryoma-sama?" Tomoka asked but decided to continue. "But I do admit that Fuji-senpai is total boyfriend material. I'm surprised that you two haven't hooked up yet."

"Wait and listen to me, Tomo-chan," Sakuno said, trying to calm the fan girl down.

"Oh, come on, Sakuno! They're so into you."

Sakuno blinked. "T-They're so not!" she exclaimed hesitantly. "W-Why would they be anyway…? Last time I checked, I'm totally boring and unattractive."

Tomoka flicked her forehead. "What's with that self-esteem? And you? Boring and unattractive? Get Real! Okay, everyone knows I'm the hot and exciting one," she said, giving her chest a light pound, "while you're like the totally awesome kind-hearted cutie! Besides, I've seen how Fuji-senpai looks at you."

Sakuno felt herself blush again. "T-Tomo-chan, Syusuke-senpai is just being nice to me."

"Osakada-senpai, Fuku-buchou, Nanami-buchou wants you at the court ASAP!" a freshman member called out to them.

"Time for practice again," Tomoka said, stretching out her arms. "Let's go, Sakuno."

Sakuno sighed as she followed after her best friend.

When the two girls left the area, Ryoma stepped out of his hiding place from behind the tree and opened his can of Ponta. "Boyfriend material, huh?" he whispered aloud. His feelings on the matter had fluctuated. Even without Fuji around he was still able to get on his nerves. "We'll see about that…"

"Unnyah? See what?"

Ryoma managed to bite back a gasp. "What are you doing here, Kikumaru-senpai?" he asked, throwing a bored look over his shoulders to the owner of the voice.

"Hehe…Visiting! Practice ended early," Eiji replied cheerfully. "O-chibi, were you spying on Sakuno-chan and Osakada-chan?"

Frowning, Ryoma turned his head away and took a sip of his Ponta.

"Mostly on Sakuno-chan, right?" Eiji snickered as a feint hint of pink stained Ryoma's cheeks. "When are you gonna ask her out?"

Ryoma almost spurted his drink. "W-Why would I?" he replied, almost hesitantly.

Eiji rolled his eyes. "O-chibi, you're not being honest, nyah!" he said, putting the boy in a headlock. "Why don't you just admit that you have this totally-insane-huge-yet-endearingly-cute crush on Sakuno-chan?"

Struggling to break free and tipping his cap down to hide his now blushing face, Ryoma demanded his senior to let him go. However, Eiji, being the playful cat that he was, continued to tease the boy by poking his cheek and chanting 'O-Chibi has a crush!' over and over. There was a limit to his patience, and Ryoma was about to lose it.

"Oops, I almost forgot why I came here," Eiji said, releasing the boy, and skipped forward. "Neh, neh, O-Chibi! I hope you won't mind."

Ryoma shrugged. "Won't mind what?"

Eiji grinned playfully. "You sure you don't wanna tell Sakuno-chan about your undying love for her?"

Ryoma slightly blushed and turned his head away. "What nonsense are you talking about?" he said grumpily.

"Okay then!" Eiji said, ruffling his head as if he was a puppy dog. "Don't regret this, nyah!"

Sakuno came back running to the water fountain for forgetting the water bottle. "Here it is," she said, reaching for the bottle. Then she spotted Eiji and Ryoma under the tree. "Eiji-senpai, Ryoma-kun!"

Eiji was practically beaming as he waved at the girl. "Yahoo! Sakuno-chan!" He skipped merrily toward the girl and gave her a big bear hug.

Ryoma felt a pang of jealousy in his heart.

"E-Eiji-senpai…umm…ano…" Her cheeks were pink and her heart was racing. "It's getting…harder to breath."

Eiji giggled and released her. "Gomen, Sakuno-chan! I just can't help it. By the way, are you free tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?" There was no practice this Saturday, no tutorial session or extra training from Fuji either, so her schedule was clear. "Yes, I am…"

"Really?" Eiji's dark blue eyes glimmered in excitement. "Then please go on a date with me!"

Both Sakuno and Ryoma stared at him in silence, their brains still trying to process what Eiji just said. After a few more seconds of quiet, Sakuno was the one to react first.

"EEEHHHHH?!"

To say he was annoyed would be the biggest understatement of the 21st century. He was irritated to the core. He had almost wasted a good Ponta when he heard his Kikumaru-senpai ask Sakuno on a date. But instead of acting like an immature teenager, Ryoma casually sipped his Ponta and silently watched the girl from the corner of his eyes. She was fidgety and nervous, and she didn't know what to say to the senior, who was anxiously waiting for her response.

Sakuno wondered if Eiji-senpai was merely joking with her. The senior then answered her question before she could voice it out.

"Tomorrow please!" he said, brushing a thumb along the contour of her cheek. He smiled at her, with eyes tinged with mischief. "Go out with me, Sakuno-chan."

She lowered her head as she blushed deeply. "Um…Eiji-senpai…t-this is so sudden…I-I don't know what to say…" She only loved Eiji as a friend. To treat him as something more would probably deprive the friendship she cherished with him. But she knew that it would hurt him if she'd reject his invitation. She didn't want that and she had no desire to be disrespectful.

Eiji took note of her shyness and hesitation, and found her extremely adorable. "Please, Sakuno-chan!" He brought his hands together in a prayer form and winked at the girl. "Please! Please!"

To have her senior plead like that would have been awkward for both of them, but she somehow found him rather cute like a child. Realizing this, she figured that Eiji simply wanted her company tomorrow. It was crazy to even interpret his innocent invitation as a sign of romantic gesture. There was no way! "Okay, senpai, I'll go out with you," she told him.

"Hooray!" Eiji exclaimed happily as he jumped up and down in glee. "Arigatou, Sakuno-chan!"

He engulfed her in a bear hug, and Sakuno quickly shut her eyes, blushing in embarrassment. Often times he was too direct with her. Eiji had never failed to make her feel very shy. But she loved Eiji very much as a friend and as a senior. She thought him as a fascinating character and animated beyond anything she had ever encountered.

Ryoma felt a big lump in his throat. The can in his hand was emptied of its content and was crushed completely. Asking her out on a date was one thing, but his senior just had to hug her again. AGAIN! He did not like it at all. PERIOD! His eyes were burning with jealousy. He wondered if Sakuno enjoyed being hug by the redhead since she wasn't doing anything to push him away, but he immediately guessed that Sakuno was too nice and shy to even try.

"I can't wait for tomorrow!" Eiji said as he released her. "It's a promise, nyah?" He linked his pinky finger with hers and smiled boyishly.

She timidly nodded as her lips curved into a smile. "Tomorrow it is…" she said softly.

Ryoma scowled, inwardly expressing his distaste for their upcoming date on Saturday. He was not going to sit this one out.

_To be continued… _

* * *

**JC: **A little bit of FujiSaku, a spoonful of RyoSaku, and a wee bit of EijiSaku to complete this chapter. Jealous Ryoma is a jealous one, and I just love writing about it. I apologize for the lack of Tezuka and Atobe. But they'll be appearing again real soon. I love including minor characters too like the trio and Tomoka. Kachirou is sure a good and responsible vice-captain, isn't he? Oh, and Ryoma's tardiness isn't something new. Hehehehe… Please review! No FLAMING!

**Next Chapter: **Eiji-senpai takes Sakuno on a date! Ryoma finds himself stalking with two more seniors. Misunderstanding here and there, and what happens when you pit two ace players against two geniuses on the court with Sakuno's home-cooked meal on the line?


	8. Date with Disaster

**JC: **Cosplay, Work, Prepping, fabric hunting… Ahhh! I'm so stressed! But it's gonna be all worth it. By the way, I've just uploaded my newest Ryoma Cosplay PIC! I've finally had the chance to debut my U-17 jersey! More pics will come soon! Feel freek to check them out. Link is on my profile page. Gosh, I miss POT so much. The NEW POT manga is pretty slow in the updates. Waaah… Oh well, patience is a virtue. I'm sorry for not updating as fast as I used to be. Life caught up with me. But I'm glad I was able to finish this extra long chapter. Hope you guys will enjoy it.

**Note: **The story takes place during Sakuno and Ryoma's 3rd year of middle school.

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis. All rights belong to Takeshi Konomi.

* * *

**A Piece of Heaven **

Eight Set: Date with Disaster

The mere mention of Eiji-senpai asking Sakuno on a date was enough to set Tomoka on hyper mode. Eiji had always been Tomoka's favorite senior due to his exuberance and acrobatic skills, and she was so bummed when she realized she couldn't go spying on their date. It was the babysitter's day off, so she had to take over the job. Honestly, taking care of her troublesome siblings would be a complete bore compared to the upcoming date. She had already imagined different kinds of romantic scenarios in her head, much to Sakuno's dismay.

Nevertheless, no babysitting job was going to stop her from giving Sakuno a good makeover. Sakuno was already pretty to begin with, but Tomoka wanted Sakuno to be perfect. She had picked out several clothes from Sakuno's limited wardrobe and had brought some of her own. She had fished out some reference pictures from magazines and the internet on the latest Japanese fashion, and made Sakuno try out this and that. The dressing room adventure had proven to be quite stressful for Sakuno. Tomoka had a good sense of fashion, but it was more than Sakuno could handle. Some clothes were just too revealing and sexy for her taste.

Hair and makeup had gone much smoothly. Sakuno wasn't conceited, but she took great pride in her hair. Not everyone can maintain a long length in a good condition, and Sakuno was very meticulous when it came to hair products. Tomoka and several girls had often expressed admiration for her hair. As for makeup, Tomoka did not go overboard. A simple makeup was enough to enhance Sakuno's already lovely features.

"All done! And you look smashing!" Tomoka said in awe, her eyes glimmering.

Sakuno's face went red. "Um… Do I really look okay?"

Tomoka nodded and patted Sakuno's shoulder. "I've outdone myself yet again," she proudly remarked. "You look so beautiful. Eiji-senpai will be pleased."

"I don't really get why Eiji-senpai asked me out," Sakuno muttered with a sigh, absentmindedly fidgeting her skirt.

"Isn't it obvious?" Tomoka followed up with a touch of humor in her eyes. "It's because he likes you!"

Sakuno once again sighed. "I don't think—"

"I wonder if Fuji-senpai knows… Ryoma-sama knows because he was there when Eiji-senpai asked you, right?"

"I'm not sure about Syusuke-senpai…" Sakuno sat down on the bed. "And yes… Ryoma-kun witnessed the whole thing." The very idea of it made her blush hard.

Tomoka's grin grew wider. "You think he's jealous of Eiji-senpai?"

Sakuno gave off a puzzled look. "Jealous? Why would Ryoma-kun be jealous of Eiji-senpai?"

Naïve as always, Tomoka thought of her best friend, but she found that quite endearing about her. "I don't know about Fuji-senpai, but Marui-san and Kirihara-san would go ballistic if they found out about this." She snickered and patted her friend's shoulder. "Sakuno, you really are a siren, aren't you?" she said with a teasing tone.

Sakuno blinked in confusion. "Siren? What do you mean?"

"Oh, will you look at the time!" Tomoka said as she glanced at her wristwatch. "You better get going, Sakuno! You don't' want to be late for your date." She hauled her best friend up by the wrist. "I wish you all the best!"

"Tomo-chan…" Sakuno was certain that her Eiji-senpai didn't see her as a romantic interest. This date would only count as a friendly date and nothing more. She wished Tomoka would see it that way as well. Eiji-senpai was like a brother to her. Familial love was way different.

As much as she wanted to spy on her best friend's date, Tomoka knew better than to neglect her responsibilities as an older sister. Hence, she decided to send a very intriguing message to some nosy seniors who would give their time in the world just to spy on Sakuno and Eiji. Of course, Tomoka did not tell her best friend about this, knowing full well that Sakuno might die of embarrassment.

* * *

"Uwaaaah! Sakuno-chan, you look amazing!"

Ryoma Echizen heard Eiji say the moment he laid eyes on the timid girl. The hyper senior was dressed in a red open jacket over a dark-blue shirt and jeans along with a gray knitted hat on his head.

Truth be known, Ryoma had not been himself and had taken out his frustrations on Horio a couple of times during practice yet again. The fact Sakuno was going out on a date with Eiji was distressing him. It was the day of the date and, in spite of his frustration, he decided to spy on them from a safe distance. Spying wasn't a Ryoma thing, but he had to make sure Eiji would not do anything inappropriate to Sakuno, even though he already considered hugging the girl countless times as improper. Some people would take great joy in spying, and Ryoma could name them in a snap.

Eiji wasn't kidding when he complimented Sakuno. Even Ryoma was taken by surprise by the girl's current appearance. Sakuno was dressed in a loose carnation pink chiffon blouse with rose details along the round neckline and delicate 3/4 sleeves, and a black layered mini skirt that exposed much of her milky white thighs. She also wore a nice pair of knee-length, light-brown boots.

But the outfit wasn't just the gist of it. Sakuno's auburn hair was loose and flowing, ending in elegant waves, and her long bangs framed her face well. There was no hairclip this time, only a light-pink headband in the design of Sakura petals.

Eiji and Ryoma didn't think she could get any prettier. The Sakuno before their very eyes was absolutely stunning. Ryoma felt his stomach churn. He didn't like the actuality of Sakuno going to such means to impress Eiji.

Sakuno was blushing bright red at the compliment. "Um…I don't really think I look great and all…I feel conscious about this…" she said, bowing her head, as she fiddled with her fingers

Eiji shook his head and grasped her shoulders. "Don't be, nyah! Cuz you're really, really pretty, Sakuno-chan!" He gave off a boyish smile. "And I'm a really lucky guy! I bet the others are gonna be so jealous."

Ryoma flinched in response and suddenly felt the urge to do his infamous twist serve at Eiji's face.

"That's…not possible," she muttered softly under her breath.

"You're so humble, Sakuno-chan," Eiji said as he entwined his fingers with hers. "Now let's go on our much-awaited date!"

Ryoma's eyebrow twitched as Eiji pulled Sakuno away. He was beginning to have second thoughts about the spying. It wouldn't do his heart any good to watch those two have the time of their lives while he felt miserable about it. He turned on his heel, set on leaving.

"Probability of Echizen spying on Kikumaru's date…93.56 percent…" Sadaharu Inui commented as he pushed his glasses back.

"You got that right, senpai," Takeshi Momoshiro added, grinning widely.

The young lad bit back a gasp. "Momo-senpai, Inui-senpai…" He kept his composure as he slipped his hands into his pockets. "What are you doing here?"

"Same as you," Momoshiro said, casually draping an arm on the lad's shoulders. "We're here to spy on Eiji-senpai and Sakuno-chan!"

Ryoma rolled his eyes. "I wasn't spying. I just happened to see them."

It was a total lie. Momoshiro and Inui could tell right away. Ryoma has the predisposition to act cool in every situation, but the two seniors knew him well enough to see right through him.

"I'm 96 percent sure that they'll head to the arcade first," Inui said, scribbling some info on his notebook.

"Really? Then what are we waiting for?" Momoshiro hooked Echizen by the back of his collar and started dragging him. "Let's go tail them!"

"Senpai, let me go," Ryoma demanded in a deep voice, hinting his frustration. But the senior was too vivacious about the whole date thing that he didn't give a damn to his demands. It seemed like he had no choice but to tag along. This was going to be a long day. What did he ever do to deserve this?

* * *

Whack-the-Mole, UFO Catcher, Angry Birds, Air Hockey—those were some of the games Eiji and Sakuno had played for the first 45 minutes in the arcade. Sakuno wasn't much of a gamer, but she had truly enjoyed whacking the moles and shooting angry birds at some little green pigs at the screen. She couldn't catch any toys in the UFO Catcher or better known as the Claw Crane, and she really wanted the little Domo-kun plushie. Eiji was kind enough to get it for her, much to Sakuno's delight. She was quite slow and clumsy for Air Hockey and she had tried so hard to score a point. In spite of losing against Eiji, Sakuno had to admit that Air Hockey was a lot of fun.

It was complete domination when it came to Basketball. Eiji had beaten several players and attained the highest score for the day with ease. Dance Revolution was another game Eiji was good at. His cat-like reflexes made it easy for him to move to the beat and step on the right panel on time. He had gathered quite a crowd due to his mad dancing skills, especially fan girls, and Sakuno couldn't help but be amazed. Eiji had asked her to try Dance Revolution as well, but she had politely declined due to her shyness. Plus, she never had the aptitude for dancing. But both of them had taken pleasure in Virtua Tennis. Sakuno had difficulty at first, but she eventually got the hang of it due to Eiji's guidance. She even managed to win against him, much to his amazement.

"Uwaaah….Sakuno-chan is good," Eiji said, scratching the back of his head. "That's 5 straight wins. You sure you haven't played this before?"

The young girl shook her head. "First time…" She fidgeted in place. "H-Honest…"

"Then you're a natural," Eiji perkily said, patting her head. "Now what should we do next?" All of a sudden his tummy grumbled. "I'm already hungry…"

She giggled. "Well, it is lunchtime."

"Oh, yeah… Hmm…I'm suddenly craving for pasta!"

"I know a good restaurant near here that serves great pasta, senpai."

Eiji's face brightened. "Then lead the way, Sakuno-chan," he said, taking hold of her hand.

"Umm…" She slightly blushed as she glanced at their linked hands. "O-Okay…"

As the couple started toward the exit of the arcade, three individuals came out of hiding. Inui and Momoshiro took great pleasure in observing Eiji and Sakuno, while Ryoma was almost close to killing Eiji. Momoshiro played the part of a responsible senior, taking control over Ryoma's unwanted actions whenever Eiji would touch, hug, and playfully tease Sakuno. Ryoma attempted to throw a basketball, fling a hockey disk, and lob a hammer at Eiji, making it seem like it wasn't on purpose, much to Momoshiro and Inui's surprise. Nevertheless, it was amusing to see their junior react this way, and Inui had found it to be very good data for future blackmailing.

The so-called spies followed the couple to a cafe called _Dahlia_. The café has a very retro feel to it with patterns and light colored walls. Inside was designed like a cozy corner of an inviting home, decked out with circular tables, cream colored pillows, and white chairs. Eiji and Sakuno were brought to a table beside the glass window by the waiter, who then proceeded to take their orders.

"E-Eiji-senpai…" Sakuno spoke out, feeling a little nervous, as the waiter made his way back to the counter. "Umm…Where are we going after this?"

Eiji grinned like a joyful little boy and brought his hand on top of her delicate hand on the table, which did not fail to make the girl blush. "I'm not gonna tell," he said good-humoredly, sticking out his tongue. "It's a surprise!"

She blinked. She was very curious all of a sudden, but she decided not to ask anymore about it. "A surprise…" A small smile tugged her lips. "I'm looking forward to it."

"I'm sure you're gonna love it, nyah!"

Ryoma almost squished the hamburger he was eating. His hazel eyes had darkened in jealousy at the sight of Eiji's and Sakuno's hands together. He and his two seniors were having their lunch at a hamburger stall right across the Dahlia Café. They had perfect view of the couple, which was rather unfortunate for Ryoma.

"You might as well give that burger to me if you're just gonna strangle it," Momoshiro said fearfully, taking note of his junior's dangerous expression. The lad was trying to be cool and composed, but his hazel eyes were betraying the emotions inside. Momoshiro brought his attention back at the couple and sighed. "Inui-senpai, I never knew Eiji-senpai liked Sakuno-chan—Hey!"

"Oh, I spilled it," Ryoma said nonchalantly. "Sorry about that, Momo-senpai…"

Momoshiro's brow twitched in annoyance. Ryoma had just spilled his soda on his shoes and acted like it wasn't on purpose. "ECHI-ZEEENN," he grumbled, clenching his teeth.

"Good data," Inui mumbled as he wrote in his notebook again. He had struck gold. It was so thoughtful of Tomoka Osakada to text them about Eiji and Sakuno's date. All the glorious data gathered had put him in such a good mood that he treated Momoshiro and Echizen burgers and drinks. Based on his observations so far, Echizen has proven to get jealous easily, and Momoshiro had to endure his resentful streak. It was clear as the skies above that Echizen has feelings for the young Ryuuzaki. It wasn't as strong as two years ago though. Inui wasn't a love-expert, but he can very well say that Echizen had always treated the girl differently than others—as if his unique brand of kindness was especially reserved only for her. Such data were really worth mentioning.

* * *

Sakuno fiddled with the ends of her skirt as she looked around one of the empty areas in the Street Tennis Court. It was about two in the afternoon, and at the very least, she found it exciting to be there. She figured that her Eiji-senpai had brought her there for a friendly match. Problem was that they didn't bring any rackets with them, and her clothes were inappropriate for the sport.

"Good! No one's using this area," Eiji said, skipping onto the court, and effortlessly jumped over the net. "It's gonna take a while, so I hope you don't mind the wait, Sakuno-chan." He smiled brightly at the confused girl, who cocked her head sideways to denote her curiosity. "Your surprise is not yet here, nyah!"

Since Eiji had gone through all the trouble preparing a surprise for her, Sakuno didn't let curiosity get the best of her. "I don't mind, senpai," she told him.

"Hehe! I'm really excited!" Eiji performed a back handspring and skipped toward Sakuno. "I'll go buy us some drinks. You wait here, okay, nyah?"

"Al-All right…" she replied with a shy smile. "Thank you."

A minute after her senior left her, she gasped when someone suddenly covered her eyes and said a 'Guess who?' before he snickered. His voice was tinged with humor, and Sakuno recognized it well. "It's Marui-san…right?" she said.

"Oh, what gave it away?" Marui said lightheartedly, removing his hands from her eyes.

She graced him with a smile as she turned to face the sweet aficionado. "I know your voice too well, Marui-san," she said.

Marui was taken aback at her appearance. Sakuno was beautiful, and so adorable in her attire, and she had such lovely, flowing hair. "You look gorgeous, Sakuno-chan," he blurted out without thinking, prompting a blush from the girl. Modest and shy as usual, yet she was an interesting girl to Marui. And all he could do now was stare at her, as she stood fidgeting before him. He always felt as though she was a doe, about to run away from him, and he had almost wanted to take hold of her hand. "Would you like to watch our match? I'm playing against Jirou, though we're on a break right now."

"Umm…I'm waiting for my senpai. He just went to buy drinks."

_Fuji Syusuke for sure…_ And the thought put a heavy weight on his chest. He wasn't sure why, but Fuji's fondness for Sakuno bothered him. "The court's right over there," he pointed out. "He'll have no trouble finding you."

"Well, I do want to watch your match against Jirou-san." she said, astounding him with her honesty. In spite of her meekness, she can be unintentionally direct.

"The score's tied, but I'm not planning on losing," he said confidently, cupping both of her cheeks. "And I'm going to play a whole lot better now that you're here. You're gonna be my Goddess of Victory."

The young girl flushed in embarrassment and averted her eyes away from his purple gaze. "Please don't tease me, Marui-san," she nervously said.

Marui felt his heart race. He felt so compelled to embrace her, no matter how wrong it sounded in his head. _What am I thinking? _Mentally pushing his thoughts aside, Marui took hold of her hand. "Don't let Akaya and Jirou see you, okay? Let's surprise them after the match."

"If you say so," she said with a timid smile, as she let the redhead guide her to the next court.

With his appearance on the court, the game against the tennis player from Hyotei Academy resumed.

Marui never failed to look poised and confident on court. He was Rikkai Dai's very own genius, and Sakuno could see how adept he was in Serve-and-Volley. She always heard Inui-senpai saying how much potential Marui has. He was very athletic and sharp at the net, able to produce effortless winning volleys.

His opponent was Jirou Akutagawa, also known as the 'Sleeping Beauty' of Hyotei Academy. Messy orange hair for a mane, Jirou was another volley specialist who gets overly excited when playing against a worthy opponent. His play style was inspired by Marui and happened to be a very big fan of him. Jirou's technique was at times very unconventional, but his natural touch enables him to produce volleys from extremely difficult positions with a sleight of hand.

To his astonishment, Marui found himself glancing at Sakuno several times while not letting his guard down on the court. He couldn't help noticing how she cheered for him, and how pretty she looked when she waved at him. And it amazed him to realize that as the game wore on, he felt his movements getting smoother and lighter. He hoped no one else noticed it.

He was in heated rally with Jirou for over a minute and a half before he finally pulled his amazing _Tsunawatari _(Tightrope Walking), a move where the ball hits the cord and neatly rolls along the top of the net before dropping onto the opponent's court.

"Game and match won by Marui Bunta! 6 Games to 4!" Kirihara announced before giving off a cocky grin. "Nice play, Marui-senpai."

The rally left both boys exhausted, but it wasn't enough to stop Jirou from fanboying over Marui.

"That was so cool, Marui-kun!" Jirou squealed, waving his racket at the redhead. "It's always so refreshing to play against Marui-kun. I had so much fun! Thanks for accepting my challenge again."

Sakuno had always found this side of Jirou to be adorable and it didn't hurt to admit that Jirou was a cute-looking boy too. She had become good friends with Jirou when Marui introduced him to her last year.

Marui popped his bubblegum and smiled amiably. "Hey, no prob," he said. "I'll play you anytime."

"Next time, I'm gonna win," Jirou uttered excitedly. Suddenly he spotted Sakuno from the corner. "That's…" His smile simply grew wider and his brown eyes brightened. "Sakuno-chaaaan!" He ran to the girl and stopped right before her. "It's been a while!"

Kirihara instantly froze upon hearing Jirou calling out Sakuno's name. Whipping his head to the corner, he found her being affectionately poked on the cheek by the so-called sleeping beauty.

"Aaaaahhh, you're still so cute, Sakuno-chan," Jirou cooed, giving her head a light pat, before his happy smile transformed into a concerned one. "I'm sorry about your grandmother… I hope you've been doing well." He, along with some Hyotei members, had expressed their condolences to her during the funeral, and Jirou felt so heartbroken when he saw her crying.

Sakuno felt a slight pang in her chest. "Obaa-chan has gone to a better place now. I miss her every day." She clasped her hands together and breathed out a sigh of relief. "But I'm all right, Jirou-san." She presented a kind and sincere smile. "Everyone helped me recover."

Jirou nodded and poked her cheek again. "Sakuno-chan is a strong girl. That's why I—" He got cut off when Marui suddenly grabbed him from behind. "Ah! Marui-kun!"

"Aren't you being a bit too friendly to Sakuno-chan, Akutagawa-san?" Kirihara said, gently pulling Sakuno away by the shoulders.

Jirou blinked at the question. "Eeeh? What's wrong with that?" Another goofy grin appeared on his face. "Sakuno-chan and I are friends, right?"

Sakuno slightly blushed and nodded her head.

"Hmmm…Just make sure you're only friends," Marui muttered before releasing Jirou. He knew that Jirou didn't mean any harm, but he didn't like seeing other guys getting close to Sakuno.

"So, what brings you to the Street Tennis Courts, Sakuno-chan?" Jirou asked.

"Oh, I actually came here with a senpai," Sakuno said, earning a brief frown from both Marui and Kirihara.

"Don't tell me you came with Fuji Syusuke again?" Kirihara asked, looking a bit pouty.

That surprised Sakuno a bit. Then again, she realized she shouldn't be since it wasn't a rare sight to see her together with her Syusuke-senpai there. The Street Tennis Courts were some of the places they would come to train after school or during weekends. "Actually I'm with—"

"AAAHHHH! What are you guys doing to my DATE?!"

Sakuno and the boys all flinched at the sound of the loud voice. Turning their heads to the direction, they found a pouty Eiji Kikumaru holding two cans of Ponta in his hands.

"Eiji-senpai," muttered Sakuno as Jirou uttered, "It's Kikumaru-kun!" excitedly, while the two Rikkai Dai players looked rather annoyed at what Eiji said.

"DATE?! And just what do you mean by that, Kikumaru-san?!" Kirihara questioned, as the acrobatic player approached Sakuno to hand her the drink. "You can't be on a date."

"Umm…Senpai..." Sakuno looked at Eiji worriedly.

"I can't leave you for a few minutes without having wolves approach you, nyah…" Eiji said dismally.

Sakuno blushed and shook her head. "Senpai, it's not like that. Marui-san and Jirou-san were playing a match and I wanted to watch…" She held the drink against her chest.

"Hmm… I see, nyah… Oh, well!" Eiji leaned forward so that his face was just a few inches from her. "Let's leave these guys and head back to the other side. We're still on a date." Sakuno's blush darkened, and he chuckled at that.

Marui's gum popped. His heart felt heavy. "Kikumaru, I didn't realize that you also like Sakuno-chan," he said, crossing his arms, as he narrowed his eyes at Eiji but not to the point of hostility.

Sakuno felt her heart jump. "Um… Marui-san, it's not like that. Eiji-senpai and I are—"

"I've always liked Sakuno-chan," Eiji said without any reservation as he wrapped his arms around the girl's neck, making the girl feel more awkward and nervous. "We're on a date right now, so it's none of your business."

Two pairs of hands immediately clenched at the sight, and Jirou, who seemed very oblivious to the Rikkai Dai boys' antagonistic aura, raised his arm like a little elementary school kid and spoke out cheerfully. "Sakuno-chan, I like you too! Would you go on a date with me?" Jirou, of course, didn't mean any harm, and being so childlike made him miss the glower from Kirihara and Marui.

Sakuno's dark red blush was his answer.

Eiji stuck out his tongue. "No can do, Akutagawa!"

Jirou simply chuckled. "No fair, Kikumaru-kun. You shouldn't keep her all to yourself."

"Mou… Jirou-san, Eiji-senpai…You two are such a tease," she muttered.

Kirihara's eyebrow was twitching. "Neh, Kikumaru-san, how about a match?" He just had to do something to get Kikumaru away from Sakuno—even for a short while—and a tennis match sounded like a good idea.

Eiji's smile faded a little. "No, no, can't! Sorry!" He released Sakuno and opened his can of Ponta. "I'm still on a date with Sakuno-chan, nyah." He took a sip.

Kirihara swore something in him snapped. It was a good thing Marui stepped in and stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder. "Akaya, behave," Marui then said before he looked at Sakuno, his purple eyes quiet but inquisitive. "Sakuno-chan, is Kikumaru your boyfriend now?"

Sakuno's heart skipped a beat. "B-B-Boyfriend? Um…Eiji-senpai is—"

Eiji butted in quickly. "We're on a date, so it should be obvious, nyah." He chuckled lightheartedly as he patted Sakuno's shoulder. "Isn't that right, Sakuno-chan?"

Marui's brow twitched. "I wasn't asking you, Kikumaru."

Sakuno sighed. "S-Senpai, you're creating a big mis—"

"What's this I hear about a date?"

Eiji, Jirou, Sakuno, and the two Rikkai Dai boys all turned their heads to the direction of the new voice and found the ever-smiling Syusuke Fuji standing a few steps away. A duffel bag strapped to his back, Fuji made his way to the group, not before gracing the young Ryuuzaki a handsome smile.

"Syusuke-senpai, konnichiwa," Sakuno said, bowing politely at the brunette.

"Hi there, Fuji-kun!" Jirou greeted the genius happily, his fanboyism set to high gear. Aside from Marui, Jirou also admired Fuji very much.

"It's been a while, Akutagawa," Fuji replied pleasantly. "I see Eiji, Marui and Kirihara are here too. So…what's this about a date?"

Jirou chuckled. "Kikumaru-kun and Sakuno-chan are on a date! I wanted to date Sakuno-chan too, but Kikumaru-kun won't let me."

"Is that so, Eiji?" Fuji asked his fellow teammate. "And you chose not to tell me about this…Why?" One could not simply tell the dark, sadistic aura he was emitting behind his calm, pleasant mask.

"I have a good reason for this, Fujiko," Eiji answered. Fuji was quiet for a few moments. This was enough to scare Eiji a bit. Eiji had been good friends with Fuji for a long time, so he knew whenever the genius has the desire to be mentally vicious. "No worries here, nyah! I'm just doing what I have to do. Sakuno-chan is worth it."

Sakuno felt herself blush yet again.

"There's no way someone like you would be her boyfriend," Kirihara snorted.

Marui smirked, mentally telling himself to keep his emotions at bay. "I bet he just forced Sakuno-chan to go out with him."

Eiji looked dumbfounded at what they said. "Uwaah…How rude!" he exclaimed, flailing his arms up and down. "And what do you mean 'someone like me'?!"

"You guys don't match at all," Kirihara followed up. "No chemistry." He then snickered.

"Haaaaaaahh? No chemistry?! That's mean. I can totally be Sakuno-chan's boyfriend!" Eiji retorted, stomping one foot, as he growled like a cat. "You're just jealous that I get to spend way more time with her."

The Rikkai Dai boys felt their faces heated up with that statement.

Instead of saying anything, Fuji watched Kirihara, Marui, and Eiji exchanged arguments, before settling his eyes on his favorite junior. Sakuno was such a pleasant girl on both the inside and out, so it was no wonder the Rikkai Dai boys were so into her. She wasn't aware of it herself due to her innocent nature. A number of reasons were running through his head as he looked back at Eiji. Ever since Eiji's assertion, Fuji was certain he would never do anything to jeopardize his relationship with Sakuno.

Fuji didn't want to dwell on it much. After all, Sakuno did tell him beforehand that she was going accompany Eiji, which was the reason why their training for today was canceled, although she failed to mention the date part. Sakuno's flushed face and concerned look made Fuji want to embrace her in his arms and take her away from the three boys. All their arguing was troubling her.

With that in mind, he took hold of her left hand and lifted a pointer finger over his mouth. "Sshhh…Come with me, Sakuno-chan," he whispered.

The girl's chewed on her lower lip. "B-but… Eiji-senpai and the others are…"

"They'll settle this on their own." He traced a thumb over the curve of her right cheek and breathed out his words. "Besides, I'd like to take over Eiji's place as your date."

"M-My D-Date?" Sakuno squeaked, blushing hard. "Umm…Erm…Senpai…I…"

"Fuji-kun, you're asking Sakuno-chan on a date when everyone's busy!" Jirou giddily exclaimed, prompting the other three to stop their arguing and to stare at Fuji. The Sleeping Beauty chuckled. "You're a sly one, aren't you?"

"Uwaaah! You can't do that, Fujiko!" Eiji instantly went in between Fuji and Sakuno to separate them. He was all pouty and grouchy like a spoiled rich brat. "I still have a surprise waiting for her."

Sakuno almost forgot about the surprise, and it seemed like her Eiji-senpai was really set on showing it to her—whatever it was. Honestly, she felt quite excited about it. "Eiji-senpai, about the surprise—Eeep!" She let out an involuntary squeak when Jirou suddenly hauled her toward him. "Ji-Jirou-san?! W-What's the matter?"

Jirou showed a goofy smile and leaned his face toward hers until their noses were merely inches apart. "I'd like to be invited to your house again and eat cake! Your cakes are the best, Sakuno-chan."

Of course, Sakuno was surprised at this. "Umm…Jirou-san, y-you're too close," she muttered, feeling her heart race.

All of a sudden, Eiji and the two Rikkai Dai boys pulled Jirou away from Sakuno and yelled, "What do you think you're doing?!" while Fuji shielded the girl with his arm.

"What's the problem? I just want to eat Sakuno-chan's cakes again," Jirou said cheerfully.

Marui pursed his lips. "Not before me," he said.

Sakuno let out a deep sigh. This was going to take forever. How was she going to wriggle her way out of this?

Just then, the solution to her problem appeared before them.

"Neh, you guys are too loud." It was a familiar voice full of arrogance. "How about settling this with a match?" His hazel eyes carried a firm resolve, yet his lips presented a cocky grin. "I can take all of you if you want."

Sakuno softly squeezed her can of Ponta. The appearance of Ryoma Echizen may pose more of a problem than a solution, much to her dismay.

* * *

Momoshiro buried his face into one hand at his supercilious junior's sudden appearance on the court. He was supposed to be spying on the group of boys and Sakuno from behind the bushes with him and Inui-senpai. Then again, this was Echizen he was talking about. The brat was burning with jealousy ever since the start of the day, and Momoshiro figured that he couldn't contain himself anymore. He looked a little vexed at Inui, shrugging his shoulders, and asked for their next course of action now that Echizen has revealed himself.

"I was a hundred percent sure that Echizen would do something like this," Inui said, adjusting his glasses. He has been right all along: Ryoma Echizen was crushing hard on their former coach's granddaughter. And for the young lad to show obvious signs of jealousy meant that his feelings were developing into something more. "He doesn't notice it, but he's rather possessive of Ryuuzaki-san."

"Not gonna disagree with you on that," Momoshiro replied. "I've always rooted for them since their first year, and it's not only because I wanted to tease Echizen. Eiji-senpai feels the same way too."

Inui raised a brow at him. "Oh, really?"

Momoshiro scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I'm not really sure how to explain this, but I've always felt that there's a certain spark between them."

"Hmm… Is that so?" Inui pulled out his trusty notebook and wrote on it. "Very intriguing, Momoshiro."

"Not as much as them," Momoshiro said, pointing at the group, as he felt somewhat sorry for Sakuno-chan for being caught up in their squabble. He could see that Eiji, Kirihara, and Marui were still holding onto poor Jirou, who simply wanted to be friendly with the girl.

"Stay out of this, Echizen," Kirihara retorted back at the lad's challenge. "We're not in the mood to play games with you."

"O-chibi! It's bad!" Eiji shouted out babyishly. "These guys are planning to steal your girlfriend away! You've gotta do something or else!"

And then came a pregnant pause.

"WHHHAAATT?!" Kirihara and Marui uttered, letting Jirou drop butt first on the ground.

Fuji's smile wavered a bit at the Eiji's bold statement, while Sakuno blushed furiously.

"First you tell us that you're her housemate!" Kirihara stomped over to Ryoma and grabbed him by the collar. "And now we find out that she's your girlfriend?! Mind explaining yourself, Echizen!"

"Let go of me," Ryoma said in a dangerous tone.

Marui sighed in frustration and scratched the side of his head in confusion. "But I thought Sakuno-chan was dating Kikumaru."

Eiji beamed at Marui with a cheerful smile. "Yes, she is!"

"Fuji-kun, everyone's so lively, right?" Jirou said as he motioned over to Fuji. "I'm glad I came today."

"Yes, it's lively indeed," Fuji replied calmly and nicely.

The young girl buried her face into the palm of her hand. She felt like a migraine coming up. This was getting them nowhere.

"Ryuuzaki-san, if you don't mind, would you like to consider my proposition?"

Sakuno blinked in surprise and peered over her shoulder to find Inui-senpai and Momo-senpai behind her. "Senpai-tachi…" She quickly turned around and bowed to show her respects. "I didn't expect to see you two here today. Umm…what kind of proposition do you have in mind?"

There was a mysterious glint in Inui's glasses as a sadistic smile tugged his lips. "Well, first, I'd like to ask for your full cooperation…"

* * *

What happens when you pit two ace players against two geniuses on the court with Sakuno's home-cooked meal on the line?

Well, if it was the Echizen-Kirihara pair and the Fuji-Marui pair, players who have excellent records in tennis, one would get a very intense match. This was all made possible due to Sadaharu Inui's brilliant idea. It was the best way to help out Sakuno and gather valuable data at the same time. It was like killing two birds with one stone. He was grateful that Sakuno agreed to help him, although she was a bit hesitant to become the prize. Thankfully, Eiji was all right with the stakes and had decided to root for his O-chibi, much to Kirihara's and Marui's surprise.

The lineup was decided by drawing straws. By stroke of fate, Echizen had ended up being Kirihara's partner, while Fuji had to team up with Marui. Jirou and Eiji, on the other hand, had to sit out because they drew blank straws.

"Game won by Echizen-Kirihara pair! 4 games to 2," Inui announced before scribbling down on his notebook again. So far, so good, the Echizen-Kirihara pair was playing at their best and they were leading, which was kind of a surprise, considering how awful of a Doubles player Ryoma Echizen can be. Well, the two aces didn't start out smoothly. They've presented such poor teamwork at the beginning until Momoshiro and Eiji decided to tease them about Sakuno going on a dinner date with Marui and Fuji. Their little teasing fueled Echizen's and Kirihara's resolve to win. Inui was enjoying himself to the fullest with all the data he was gathering.

"They're on a roll, aren't they?" Fuji said, smiling pleasantly, unconsciously gripping the racket. "I didn't expect them to work so well together."

"That Akaya…" Marui grumbled as he popped a gum. "He really wants to have dinner with Sakuno-chan."

Fuji simply chuckled as his eyes opened. "Saaa…Not if I can help it."

Marui raised a brow. "What are you planning, Fuji?" he asked. Then the Seigaku prodigy walked up to Marui and whispered a plan into his ear. A devilish smile appeared on his lips. "It's gonna work perfectly."

It was Ryoma's turned to serve. He has transferred his racket to his right hand and began bouncing the ball. A Twist Serve was coming, but Fuji and Marui were not about to let him have his way.

As Ryoma threw the ball up, Marui immediately butted in with a question. "Neh, Fuji, is Echizen really Sakuno-chan's boyfriend?" he asked deliberately with a curious tone.

Ryoma flinched at the question and swung his racket carelessly, hitting nothing but the air and letting the ball drop on his head. "Damn it…"

"I think so," Fuji replied, controlling the urge to laugh at his junior's reaction. "They seemed very close lately, and Echizen's only nice to Sakuno-chan."

Kirihara shot him a glare. "So, you really are Sakuno-chan's boyfriend!" he exclaimed, pointing at him accusingly with his black racket.

Ryoma tipped his hat down, shielding the smirk on his face. "If you want to believe that, then its fine with me," he said nonchalantly. The very idea of him being Sakuno's boyfriend sounded lovely to his ears.

"I don't!" Kirihara shouted back.

Ryoma shrugged and picked up the tennis ball. "I'm going to serve, so get into position," he said, posing to serve again.

Kirihara grumbled and looked back at his opponents, who were suspiciously smiling at him.

Marui braced himself for the serve. He tightened his grip on his racket as he waited. The moment the ball hit the service line, it spun for several seconds before shooting up directly to his face. However, much to Ryoma's disappointment, Marui angled his body and returned the ball back effortlessly.

"Incredible, Marui-san!" Sakuno said in awe. She knew it wasn't easy to return Ryoma's Twist Serve.

"Thank you, Sakuno-chan!" Marui said, giving the girl a v-sign and a wink of an eye, before he returned another shot.

The two then traded rally balls for over a minute until Fuji decided to destroy the momentum. "Did you know? Echizen has constantly kept in touch with Sakuno-chan when he left for America. Every single day was agonizing without her and he would patiently wait for her emails."

Although Marui wanted to gag at that, he pretended to look amused. "Oh, really?" he said as he purposely lobbed the ball.

Ryoma lightly blushed.

Kirihara was so annoyed that he did not hesitate to jump and smash the ball with all his might.

Marui snickered. "He fell for it."

As expected, Fuji performed one of his triple counters, the _Kirin Otoshi_, which was an upgraded version of _Higuma Otoshi_. By quickly rotating his body, Fuji used centripetal force to absorb the force of the smash and returned the ball with a lob. The ball instantly landed on the opponent's baseline.

"Love 15," Inui announced.

Sakuno felt so amazed that she had to clap her hands. "Nice move, Syusuke-senpai," she said, and the Seigaku prodigy didn't fail to return her gesture with a handsome smile. Unknown to her, two pair of eyes from the other side of the court narrowed at Fuji.

"Have you forgotten about his counters?" Ryoma questioned in a rather insulting tone.

Kirihara whipped his head to the cocky brat and raised a clenched fist. "Shut up and serve!"

"Che…" Ryoma bounced the ball a few times before tossing it into the air.

Marui immediately spoke up as the young lad was about to strike the ball. "Akaya keeps a picture of Sakuno-chan in his locker."

Unknowingly, this made Fuji's eyebrow twitch.

Kirihara blushed at the statement and felt very embarrassed, while Ryoma made a careless swing again. He managed to hit the ball this time, but the ball went flying toward Kirihara's head.

"Uwaaah, O-chibi made a mistake," Eiji pointed out.

Ryoma tipped his cap down, hiding the frustration on his face.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Kirihara grumbled out through clenched teeth.

"It wasn't on purprose," Ryoma said coolly. "In a way… I felt like doing it." A picture of an angelic Sakuno in the possession of the devil Akaya was enough to make his stomach churn. He wondered how Kirihara got his hands on it in the first place.

"What did you say?!" Kirihara retorted.

"You heard me," replied Ryoma.

"They're self-destructing," Momoshiro said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Inui casually pushed back his glasses. "Echizen and Kirihara have fallen into Fuji and Marui's trap," he said.

Sakuno sighed deeply as she grabbed the ends of her skirt. "A psychological trap…"

Jirou chuckled. "Well, it's still fun to watch them."

* * *

Kirihara scratched his head in frustration, muttering some curses under his breath. The match had finally ended, but not in his favor. It was a humiliating defeat since he and his teammate had done nothing but argue, which led to their poor performance against the Fuji-Marui pair. It was unacceptable, and he blamed Echizen for dragging him down. "You really suck at doubles," he told the lad.

"It's not my fault if you couldn't keep up," Ryoma said, keeping his cool, even though he was raging inside from the loss. "Besides, we've been had." He turned to give Fuji a knowing look.

The Seigaku genius graced him with a sardonic grin. "It will be a pleasure to dine with Sakuno-chan."

"You're really going through with it?" Kirihara sounded dismayed.

Marui made a peace sign with his hand. "We earned it, Akaya," he said, not before sticking his tongue out. "A delicious dinner with Sakuno-chan! I can't wait!" He then looked at Fuji and pouted. "But I have to share it with this guy…"

"You're so lucky, Marui-kun," Jirou said, giving the redhead a friendly headlock.

"That was an interesting match," Inui said with a dark look on his face. "I should have brought my Inui juice. It would have been a nice consolation prize for the losing team."

A shiver went down Ryoma's spine. "There's no need for that, senpai."

Eiji read the new text message he received on his phone and took hold of Sakuno's hand. "Nyaah, it's almost time for your surprise!"

"Oh, I almost forgot about that," Sakuno replied.

"Don't forget that you're still on a date with me," Eiji said, poking her cheek.

"You're still saying that?" Kirihara mumbled.

"Hey, Fuji, you weren't serious about Echizen being her boyfriend, were you?" Marui asked.

"Saaa…What do you think?" Fuji replied, looking very relaxed and merry.

It was starting again, Sakuno thought, and she didn't want any more of it. She had to push back her shyness for a while. Swallowing hard, she straightened up and spoke up. "Um…Minna-san…I'd like to clarify on some things…" She felt a rush of anxiety wash over her when everyone turned their attention to her. "I…I am going out with E-Eiji-senpai, but only as friends… We're not dating like a couple."

The acrobatic nodded playfully. "Sakuno-chan is more than just a kouhai to me," he said, lifting a hand to her head. "She's my little sister." He then pointed at the group of guys. "So, don't you dare hurt her or you'll have to answer to me, nyah!"

Sakuno giggled. She was happy that her lively senior think of her that way. "And to answer Marui-san's question…The answer is no," she said, lowering her head timidly. "Ryoma-kun and I…are just close friends. There's nothing going on between us." For some reason, her heart felt heavy with what she just said.

Marui and Kirihara breathed the sigh of relief. It was so good to hear the truth from Sakuno herself.

Ryoma felt a jolt of pain in his heart. Of course, he was happy that Sakuno thought of him as a close friend. At the same time, he felt conflicted and hurt, and silently he wished he could be something more to her than just a close friend.

"I didn't expect to see a lot of familiar faces here."

Eiji immediately recognized the voice and briskly turned to the direction. There stood a good-looking young man clad in a white collared shirt underneath a black coat with golden trimmings. He had black hair with two locks that stood inwards on the top of his head. "OISHIII!" he yelled out, running to his most trusted partner to give him a brotherly hug. "We've been waiting for you!"

Shuuichirou Oishi allowed his partner to let go of him first before talking. "Sorry if I took so long," he said, smiling apologetically. "It took a while to get a reservation. I had to pull some strings."

"It's okay. The important thing is you're here!" Eiji said, and then waved back at Sakuno. "Oishi is here!"

Sakuno quietly came to him and bowed. "Konnichiwa, Oishi-senpai," she greeted politely, gracing him with a beautiful smile.

Formerly known as the mother of Seigaku, Oishi returned her smile. "Nice to see you doing well, Ryuuzaki-san…and…" A low bow came next, which surprised the young girl. "I'm really sorry that I wasn't able to attend the flower viewing with you and the others. I deeply regretted that."

"Oh, please, there's no need for you to apologize, senpai," Sakuno said, and she meant it. "Syusuke-senpai and Eiji-senpai told me that you were really busy."

"But that event was held in your honor." Oishi could see how sincere the girl was, but he still felt guilty. "That's why I'd like to treat you to dinner to make it up to you." An impulsive wave of hostile aura hit him all of a sudden. For a pacifist such as himself, he wasn't the type to seek trouble or let trouble come to him. Making enemies wasn't on his hobby list either. Nevertheless, the hostility he felt was indeed scary, and he was quick to realize that it came from four guys.

"Oishi-senpai, you don't have to treat me," Sakuno said, feeling a little guilty for planting weight on her senior's shoulders.

The mother hen smiled then, as though she had said something very silly. "Ryuuzaki-san, I'm sorry but I won't take no for an answer. Please let me do this for you." He bowed once again. "Please…"

"Oishi already made reservations, Sakuno-chan," Eiji said, draping an arm on her shoulders. "And Oishi's doing this because he likes you too!"

"E-Eiji!" Oishi raised his voice on whim. He felt embarrassed, yet what Eiji said was very true. He liked the petite girl and considered her as family. No more, no less. However, much to Oishi's dismay, Eiji's innocent statement prompted three vicious glares from a junior wearing a cap, a devil with seaweed hair, and a redhead chewing bubblegum. Oishi also felt danger from Fuji, even though the genius was smiling at him.

She lowered her eyes before she blushed again. "Everyone's so nice to me…" And she felt like she didn't deserve their kindness. They were such good friends to her. "All right, senpai… I accept your invitation," she said, smiling up to him.

"Hoi, hoi! I'm also going with you!" Eiji said, wrapping his arms around the young girl's frame and twirled her around. "Oishi reserved a table for three just for us!"

"Eiji, let her go!" Oishi demanded his partner, not only because Sakuno was beginning to look nauseous, but also because of the unfriendly aura present in the air. _Let her go if you want to live. _

"E-Eiji-senpai!" Sakuno felt a little dizzy when Eiji put her down and had to hold onto Oishi for support. "I'm a little overwhelmed by all this."

"So, Sakuno-chan is going on a date with the Golden Pair," Jirou said humorously. "But wait…what about the reward? Fuji-kun and Marui-kun won the match, so I thought they were going to have Sakuno's home-cooked meal tonight."

"It's all right," Fuji said sincerely. Unlike the three teenagers on his side, Fuji was aware of the Golden Pair's relationship with Sakuno. They shared something more than a passion in tennis. While Eiji was brotherly towards Sakuno, although his overly loving affection can stir up unwanted emotions, Oishi was more of a mother to the girl. "Just make sure Sakuno-chan gets home safely, okay?"

Oishi nodded in understanding. "Leave her to us, Fuji."

"You heard him, Echizen," Fuji told the lad, giving his shoulder a light pat. He had been observing Ryoma since Oishi's arrival. There was no doubt in his mind that Ryoma was uncomfortable with the Golden Pair's closeness to Sakuno.

Ryoma shrugged. "I'll be having dinner at my place," he intentionally said to let Sakuno know. He didn't want the girl to fret over him for not being to make dinner. Besides, he had lost the match, so technically, even without Oishi's invitation, he still wouldn't be able to eat her meal tonight.

"I guess it can't be helped," Marui said, feeling disappointed, but he realized that he could just pay Sakuno a visit the next day for his treat of the week. It had been a custom to visit her once or twice a month to eat cake and spend time with her. And since he won the match, he would get a bonus meal to go along with the cake too.

"Syusuke-senpai…Marui-san…" Sakuno said softly, staring at her feet, and feeling that she should do something to compensate their reward. She could always make them packed lunchboxes or prepare a nice gourmet meal for them the next day. Marui-san would be paying her a visit for sure, and she would have no problems meeting up with Syusuke-senpai either. She remembered how amazing the two of them were on the court, as if they had been partners for a long time, and the nudging thought in the back of her head was telling her to reward them at that very moment for their efforts. Surprisingly, she could only think of one. "Umm...umm…eto…S-Syusuke-senpai, Marui-san, can you lend me your ears for a moment?"

The brunette and the redhead stared at her quietly for a few seconds, noting her little trembling form and flushing cheeks, before leaning their faces closer to her. In a split second, Sakuno gave them a sweet little kiss on their cheeks.

Everyone had their own brand of reaction to her bold yet charming move. The two recipients of the kiss blinked in surprise. Ryoma and Kirihara stifled a gasp. Jirou, Momoshiro and Eiji couldn't help but whistle. Oishi felt a little concerned, while Inui smirked and scribbled down data in his notebook again.

"Sakuno-chan?" Fuji muttered, looking at her curiously.

Marui lifted a hand to the spot where she kissed, inwardly smiling to himself. "You surprised us. What was that for?"

"It's my apology…since I can't make dinner for you tonight…" She felt very shy and she couldn't look at them in the eyes. "I'm sorry if it isn't much, but I promise to cook for you—"

Fuji stopped her by placing his finger on her lips. "It was more than enough, Sakuno-chan," he said with admiration.

Marui nodded in agreement. "A kiss from you is the best reward ever." And he really meant it. Her kiss felt so sweet, and it reminded him of strawberry candy.

Inui looked at the Ryoma-Kirihara pair and grinned at the fierce look they were directing at the genius pair. "Such good data indeed," he muttered under his breath.

_To be continued… _

* * *

**JC: **Phew! 21 pages in total. My fingers just kept on typing and typing! I couldn't stop! However, it had to end there. This was a fun chapter to write. This was actually inspired from the episode where Momoshiro and An-chan had a supposed date. It was a nice funny episode to watch. I got to write about Ryoma's jealousy here again! Marui and Kirihara made their appearance too! Let's not forget Jirou! This sleeping beauty is such an adorable character. I can easily imagine him being good friends with Sakuno-chan. Inui-senpai is always with his data collecting schemes. Thank you for reading the chapter! PLEASE REVIEW! NO FLAMING!

**Next Chapter: **The Rivals acknowledge one another! Tezuka is on a jet with Atobe. A mysterious stranger rattles Sakuno and Ryoma finds her distressed under the rain. What is going on?


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